Opinion

California’s wealthy are trading the Golden State for the Golden Nugget

From a proposed exit tax to mansion taxes and a wealth tax ballot measure, successful families are weighing options

By Ted Jenkin Fox News

Published June 26, 2026 5:00am EDT

Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google

close

Video

California's proposed billionaire tax to appear on November ballot

California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak discusses the Department of Justice probe involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife and California's proposed billionaire tax on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

For decades, California represented the American Dream.

It was the state where entrepreneurs built companies like Apple and Google, innovators changed the world, and families sought opportunity. But today, a growing number of Californians are packing up their moving trucks and heading east across the state line to Nevada.

The reason isn't hard to understand.

Many residents feel like California's government sees successful taxpayers not as citizens to attract, but as revenue sources to tap.

TAX AND RUN: HOW NY AND CALIFORNIA ARE BLEEDING PEOPLE AND PROSPERITY

Wealthy and successful California residents are opting to move to neighboring Nevada. (Getty Images/iStock)

Nevada, on the other hand, is becoming the "Golden Nugget" of the American West. A place where people can keep more of what they earn, enjoy a lower cost of living, and escape an increasingly aggressive tax environment.

The tax differences are staggering.

California's top state income tax rate sits at 13.3%, the highest in America. Nevada's state income tax rate is........

© Fox News