SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego County can be a desirable place for some to live.
But Lorynn Guerrero is concerned about her son settling in from Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“Of course, my first concern is the cost of living. I was worried where he would live,” Guerrero said. “He’s paying over $2,000 a month for a studio apartment.”
As we've reported, the cost of living and affordable housing are always big obstacles for the County's residents.
“In New Mexico, West Texas area, over $2,000 can probably get you a comfortable three-bedroom, two-bath home,” Guerrero said.
Newly released census datashows San Diego County saw a big dip in net domestic migration.
That's the difference between how many people move into an area and people moving out.
In 2023, the County saw nearly 31,000 more people move out than move in, almost double the number from a year earlier.
Guerrero told ABC 10News that neighbors on her street moved there from San Diego County about a year ago.
“For them to be able to afford the house that they’re in, in the neighborhood that they live in, it’s more cost-efficient than them living in San Diego,” Guerrero said. “Cost of living, retirement, slower pace.”
ABC 10News spoke to the president of United Way of San Diego County about what she's seeing on the ground locally.
"Here in San Diego County, 36% of our residents are unable to make enough money to even barely survive here. So, it's no wonder that people are looking for some other places to live where they can do more, afford more, provide for their families in ways that are not so stressful,” Nancy Sasaki, President & CEO of United Way of San Diego County, said.
Sasaki said there are hopeful conversations being had in the education circles to prepare students for jobs in demand locally and keep them in the County.
“So how do we coordinate with school districts and community colleges and the universities to make sure that the curriculum is matching what the needs for people to stay here. So, there’s a lot of those conversations and a lot of that work happening,” Sasaki said.
