The steady influx of newcomers to Washington from around the country has weakened significantly since before the pandemic, new data from the Washington Department of Licensing shows.
Last year, about 134,000 people who moved here from another state were issued Washington driver's licenses or identification cards. That's down by about 29,500, or 18%, from 2019, when the state issued nearly 164,000 driver’s licenses or identification cards to newcomers from other states.
The Department of Licensing data serves as a useful proxy for domestic migration, as most people who move to Washington eventually obtain a Washington driver’s license or ID. The data also makes it possible to see which states are sending more or fewer new residents than before the pandemic.
Census data shows the state's growth from domestic net migration was lower than before the pandemic. Last year, the state gained around 9,000 people from other states. In 2019, Washington gained about 36,000 from net domestic migration.
Those are net figures, meaning it's the number who moved here minus the number who left. The DOL data only captures the number who moved to Washington and were issued a driver's license or ID card.
The DOL data shows the decline in movers from other states was nearly across the board — only three states sent more new residents to Washington in 2025 than they did in 2019: Maine, Texas, and Arizona.
Maine saw the largest percentage increase, though the numbers were small. New arrivals from Maine rose from 311 in 2019 to 354 in 2025, an increase of about 14%.
Texas posted the largest numerical increase. Movers from Texas climbed from about 10,000 in 2019 to 10,800 in 2025. Arizona also ticked upward slightly to just over 7,000, an increase of nearly 100 movers.
Every other state showed a decline.
California, long Washington’s biggest source of new residents, posted the largest drop by far. In 2019, nearly 37,700 Californians obtained a new Washington license or ID. Last year, the number was only about 26,500. That’s a decrease of roughly 11,200 people — nearly a 30% decline.
Even with that drop, California still sends far more newcomers to Washington than any other state.
Oregon remained the second-largest source, but it too saw a notable decline. Movers from Oregon fell from about 19,200 in 2019 to roughly 16,100 in 2025, a decrease of more than 3,000.
Several other states recorded sizable decreases as well. There were about 3,000 movers from Illinois last year, nearly 1,300 fewer than in 2019. Colorado sent us about 4,500 new residents, down by nearly 900. Idaho's total was around 5,200, down more than 700.
Some of the steepest percentage declines occurred in smaller migration streams. Moves from Alaska dropped by more than 40%, falling from about 3,100 to 1,800. Connecticut, North Dakota, and Wisconsin also saw declines of roughly 30% or more.
Despite the slowdown, the overall pattern of migration to Washington hasn’t changed dramatically. The largest sources of newcomers remain mostly the same: California, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, and Florida.
The declining numbers could reflect a variety of factors, such as higher-than-average housing costs across the state, shifting job markets, the rise of remote work and broader migration trends.
Census data shows that while net domestic migration has declined since the 2010s, international migration has increased. Last year, Washington added about 46,000 residents from abroad, significantly higher than in 2019, when the number was around 23,000.
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