Every year, thousands of people in the US pack up their bags and move from one state to another.
While some people move to attend school or start a new job, others move due to things like the high cost of living, bad weather, and lack of employment opportunities.
According to the Mises Institute, some of the states that saw a massive exodus of its residents between 2016 and 2017 include New York, California, and Illinois. Recently, the New York Business Journal reported that the state is the top in the US where people migrate from.
Between 2015 and 2016, the Big Apple’s population dropped from 19.5 million to 19.3 million. A report released by the US Census Bureau in December last year highlighted the same disturbing trend.
Between 2017 and 2018, New York was ranked the top state where people were moving out of with a population loss of about 48,510. Illinois followed closely in second place with about 45,116 people moving away. See ya! Just remember why you are moving – socialism does not work!
In this article, we’ll look at six reasons why people are moving away from New York, California, and Illinois.
- Difficulty Finding Jobs
One of the reasons why people are moving out of these states is due to difficulties finding jobs. It is not that jobs aren’t available, but since a lot of people have to compete for the few available positions, many people are left out.
In 2017, Illinois ranked 42nd in the country in terms of job growth. While the situation may be somewhat better today in Illinois as well as in New York and California, highly skilled workers are in a better position to take advantage of employment opportunities.
- High Taxes
Another reason why people are migrating from these states is taxes. New York, Illinois, and California are among the states with the highest tax burden in the country. California is even losing football teams and the A’s should have left at least 10 years ago.
We all know that taxes can be a headache for Californians – even wealthy people are moving away for this reason. Meanwhile, a study published in 2018 by WalletHub revealed that Illinoisans pay more taxes than people living in other states in the country.
The situation is no different in New York. Recently, Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted that high taxes in the state is forcing people to migrate but he does nothing about it!
New York even kicks out corporations who are about to hire 25,000 citizens! Genius! Amazon – have you heard of Phoenix? Atlanta? Dallas? I have no idea why you are even in Virginia or even considered locating to another location in the northeast.
- High Cost of Living
The high cost of living in New York, California, and Illinois is also driving people away. Apart from taxes, people have to contend with the fact that it is hard to find affordable housing in these parts of the country.
The housing market is more affordable in Illinois than it is in New York and California, but even the median home price of $172,000 in the Prairie State is a lot to contend with.
- Weather
The unforgiving winter in cities like New York and Chicago is one more reason why people are opting out of these states. Many people from these states are moving to warmer states like Florida and Texas.
While California has temperate weather, the drought, earthquakes, and frequent wildfires can be a major put off on top of the crime, smell of urine in the cities, homelessness, and low quality of life.
- High Population
If you’ve ever experienced rush hour, then you’d understand why people would want to move away because of the high population density in some states in the country.
California, New York, and Illinois are among the top states in the country with the highest population with a headcount of 39.5 million, 19.8 million, and 12.8 million respectively (but many of these people don’t work). Most families with small children prefer to stay in places that are not densely populated.
- Crime Rate
If you want your family to live in a relatively safe part of the country, New York, California, and Illinois are unlikely to be part of your options. These are some of the states in the country with the highest crime rates. On the other hand, states like Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia have a much lower crime rate.
Texas, Arizona, and Georgia – Three Winners
New York, California, and Illinois continue to be decrepit places to live. Hey though, if you live in California you can hope for a high speed rail train that will pick you up when you don’t want to leave and take you somewhere you don’t want to be. Outstanding!