The combination oflow-cost housing and a job market has finally made the InlandEmpire an attractive SoCal market. The Inland Empire has alwaysboasted low-cost housing, but now the job market is rounding outthe region and making it a more attractive place to live. As aresult, the Inland Empire is seeing significant population growth,and it is expected to evolve rapidly in the coming years.

"Affordability has always been a draw, but without a strong jobmarket, potential residents would have been reluctant to leave amarket like Los Angeles. Since 2010, one out of every four jobsadded in Southern California went to the Inland Empire,"Matt Kaufman, research analyst atJLL, tells GlobeSt.com. "For context, the InlandEmpire only makes up one-fifth of the regional population, showinghow much the region is outpacing its neighbors. Initially, much of that growth was the result ofe-commerce but has since grown and diversified to absorb a varietyof job sectors including healthcare and education. With this strongand diverse of a job market, people are feeling more confident intheir ability to find work outside of Los Angeles and are feelingmore emboldened to leave for a more affordable market."

The majority of the new residents in the Inland Empire marketare likely homebuyers, rather than renters. These residents arecoming from other, more expensive markets in Southern California,where homeownership was unattainable. "We cannot tell for certain,but it is reasonable to assume that these new residents would behomebuyers, or at least could be in the next few years," saysKaufman. "The cost of homeownership in Los Angeles has priced manypotential homeowners out of the market and has only helped boostlocal demand for multifamily units in lieu of single-family homes.It would stand to reason, that as we continue to see people migratefrom Los Angeles toward the Inland Empire, many are doing so withthe intention of keeping their home-owning aspirations alive."