For generations, California represented the American dream—a place where families moved in search of opportunity, good-paying jobs, and a better life. Today, the Golden State is earning a very different reputation.

For 2026, California has been ranked the third-worst state to move to, according to Consumer Affairs’ annual state rankings, placing behind only Louisiana and New Mexico.

The report evaluates states based on affordability, safety, economic strength, health care, education, and quality of life.

California’s ranking was driven largely by poor scores in affordability, safety, and economic strength.

While the state ranked 23rd in health care and education, and 14th in quality of life, it finished dead last in affordability and 49th in safety—making it the second-most dangerous state in the nation, according to the report. It ranked 41st in economic strength.

The report comes as California recorded the nation’s highest net out-migration for the third consecutive year, meaning more people expressed interest in leaving the state than moving to it, according to Consumer Affairs.

It wasn’t always that way.

For much of the 20th century, California was a magnet for migration, drawing people from across the country in search of economic opportunity and a better future. For many, the California dream was a reality worth pursuing.

U.S. Rep. Vince Fong, a Republican representing Bakersfield, said the ranking reflects years of policy failures in Sacramento.

“California has everything it needs to succeed: abundant natural resources, hardworking people, and limitless opportunity. Yet years of failed leadership from Gavin Newsom and Sacramento have squandered those advantages,” he said.

Fong pointed to what he described as a growing affordability crisis. “The results are impossible to ignore: one of the least affordable states in the nation, the highest gas prices in America, families and businesses leaving, billions in government overspending with little to show for it, and the California Dream slipping further out of reach.”

California Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, echoed concerns about the state’s performance but focused on what he believes should change moving forward.

“Too often, Sacramento measures success by how much money government spends instead of the results it delivers. There is no excuse to be ranked 23rd in health care, 14th in quality of life, and the third-worst state to move to. The policies in this state have failed, and the proof is in the number of people leaving,” he said.

Both lawmakers argued California should reduce regulations, expand housing construction, increase energy production, and lower costs for businesses and residents.

“We need to get back to the basics: put people ahead of politics, unleash domestic energy production, cut the excessive regulations that make housing unaffordable and drive jobs away, restore accountability to a government plagued by fraud and waste, and put California taxpayers first once again,” Fong said.

Tangipa said California leaders should focus on lowering costs and reducing regulatory barriers.

“We need to make sure taxpayers see a return on their investment. We need to lower the cost of living by embracing abundance again: build more housing, produce more energy, update infrastructure, and bring back businesses by incentivizing them to be here,” he said.

“If we focus on opportunity instead of bureaucracy, California can once again become the place where families come to build the American dream, not the place they’re forced to leave.”

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]