53 percent of Californians want to leave the state, according to new survey

A moving truck is shown at a house that was sold in Palo Alto, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. A new survey shows more than half of Californians are considering leaving the state. A moving truck is shown at a house that was sold in Palo Alto, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. A new survey shows more than half of Californians are considering leaving the state. Photo: Paul Sakuma Photo: Paul Sakuma Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close 53 percent of Californians want to leave the state, according to new survey 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Dreaming of greener (read: cheaper) pastures? You're not alone.

According to a new survey by Edelman Intelligence, 53 percent of Californians are considering moving out of state due to the high cost of living. Millennials are even more likely to flee the Golden State — 63 percent of them said they want to.

Bay Area residents surveyed were especially sensitive to affordability issues, and it's no surprise. The median home value in San Francisco is $1.37 million, according to Zillow, and $1.09 million in San Jose. In Edelman's survey, 76 percent of Bay Area residents say they consider cost and availability of housing to be a serious issue.

ALSO: It's not just people fleeing the Bay Area — these businesses are leaving, too

Sixty-two percent also call homelessness a very serious issue for California.

It appears the housing and homelessness crises have led to a pessimistic outlook: 62 percent of those surveyed say the best days of living in California are behind them.

The trend is backed up by much of SFGATE's past reporting. We've spoken with people who've left California for the Pacific Northwest, Texas and Denver — all popular destinations for Bay Area ex-pats. Nearly everyone we talked to cites the high cost of living as the primary reason they left. Others were looking for a slower pace of life, lower taxes, less traffic and more time with family.

EXODUS: Why people leave the SF Bay Area besides housing costs

There have been other signs of the California exodus. In December, it was revealed that one of the most frequently Googled questions in California last year was "Should I move out?"

The Bay Area was also found to be leading the nation in outward migration, meaning more people are leaving the region than moving in. However, most people who moved out of the Bay Area didn't go to far; the number one destination was Sacramento, followed by Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and San Diego.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.

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