Last year, more than half a million people left New York for greener pastures out West amid concerns about rising crime coupled with skyrocketing rents, new data shows.
The US Census Bureau has revealed that an estimated 545,598 residents moved from the Empire State to other parts of the US in 2022 – with Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and California being the top states for relocations.
By comparison, only 163,416 people moved from the US to the Big Apple region during the same period, for a net interstate exodus of minus 382,182.
One thing the city has retained, however, is its status as a haven for refugees and asylum seekers: in 2022, 138,045 people migrated to the east coast metropolis from abroad. There are no comparable figures for those who left the state to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
The exodus from New York comes as 30 percent of residents said they wish they lived somewhere else because of rising rents combined with high taxes, the political climate and crime, according to a survey by the New York Times. Siena College Research Institute.
The US Census Bureau has revealed that an estimated 545,598 residents moved from the Empire State to other parts of the US in 2022 – with Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and California the top states for moves.
Last year, more than half a million people left New York for greener pastures out West amid concerns about rising crime coupled with skyrocketing rents, new data shows
The most popular state to move was Florida, where 91,201 New Yorkers moved in 2022. (Image: Miami skyline at night)
“A large majority of New Yorkers say the quality of life in the Empire State is excellent or good and that they are happy to live here,” said Don Levy, director of the institute.
“But about 30 percent say they would like to live elsewhere and 31 percent plan to leave New York when they retire.”
Manhattan has been plagued by an increase in murders, rapes and robberies over the past year, leaving people concerned about their personal safety.
Damning data from the NYPD shows that violent crime in these categories all rose from last year, reaching highs in both 2020 and 2021 not seen in decades.
And New Yorkers are increasingly concerned about it: 87 percent of residents say crime is a serious problem in the state, while 61 percent admit to worrying about being victimized.
This climate of fear, combined with rents as high as the skyscrapers of the concrete jungle, appear to have caused the mass departure.
Levy said New York residents view affordability as “bad,” with crime a problem highlighted by lower earners, the elderly, Black people and Republicans in the state.
“Most say there is a lot to like here in New York – other New Yorkers, the quality of both education and health care, the availability of quality leisure activities and the opportunity to be successful,” he said.
“But two-thirds give the state a poor grade on affordability, and half of all New Yorkers, and about 60 percent of lower-income residents, those over 50, Blacks and Republicans, say it is a place where you feel safe feels for crime, the state is only fair or bad.’
Rents in Manhattan reached a new record in July of this year at an average of $5,588 per month – an increase of 30 percent since 2019 and nine percent from the same time in 2022.
The average rent, $4,400 per month, and the average price per square foot of $84.74, also reached a new record, a report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman revealed.
The average price of a studio in Manhattan in July was $3,278 and a three-bedroom apartment was $10,673.
Levy said New York residents rated it “poor” because of its affordability, with crime being a problem highlighted by lower earners, the elderly, black people and Republicans in the state
Florida now tops the list of states with tax revenues exceeding $12 billion, largely due to migration from higher-tax states like New York. (Photo: South Beach Miami)
Larger, more expensive apartments have seen the biggest price increases since the pandemic disrupted the market.
It was the coronavirus that also first sparked much of the movement from New York, as relaxed lockdown rules in Republican states and the fear of living in a densely populated city as the disease took hold prompted many instigated to escape.
Data shows that New Yorkers primarily chose Sunbelt states like Texas and Florida during the peak period of COVID-19.
Census data tracking the 545,598 people who left New York has a margin of error of 21,535 — meaning the true figure could be as high as 567,733.
The most popular state to move to was Florida, where 91,201 New Yorkers moved in 2022.
This was followed by 75,103 moves to the neighboring state of New Jersey, 50,670 to Connecticut, 44,807 to Pennsylvania, 31,255 to California and 30,890 to Texas.
Florida is seen as a financial oasis by many thanks to the fact that, like Texas, it has no income tax.
A 2023 study from personal finance company Smart Asset found that thousands of millennials earning more than $200,000 are fleeing high-tax states like New York for a break from financial pressure.
A new study suggests that 26-35 year olds earning more than $200,000 are fleeing California and New York in favor of states like Florida and Texas
Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Colorado and North Carolina are the top five states that saw the largest increases in the number of young, high-earners moving there.
Moves to red states like Florida and Texas could also have to do with the vastly different political climates they offer. According to the Siena College survey, 43 percent of New Yorkers say their local political system “works for people like them.”
The honey-trap states for New Yorkers are also among the top states where people come from for a bite of the Big Apple via relocation – but in much smaller cohorts.
Compared to the 75,103 movers from New York to NJ in 2022, 38,771 made the opposite move. Meanwhile, 50,670 people moved from New York to CT, while a paltry 14,981 moved from the Constitution State to the Big Apple region.
An estimated 44,807 New Yorkers moved to PA, 28,184 moved to the Keystone State from New York. And when 30,890 moved from the Manhattan area to Texas, only 12,233 made the reverse move.
California was the only state where more people moved from New York to New York than the other way around: about 31,255 people moved from New York, compared to 31,681 Californians who moved east.
This could be due to the fact that the two states have similar political climates as the Democratic-led states, high crime rates and high taxes.
It’s not surprising that the Big Apple leads the way for the most unaffordable city in the United States.
In general, cheaper rents in California cities than in the Big Apple may entice New Yorkers to live in the Gold Coast.
Statistics on the exodus from New York exclude foreigners who have moved in and out of New York from all over the world, as the city is known as a haven for refugees and asylum seekers.
Census figures show that 138,045 people moved from abroad to the east coast metropolis in 2022. There are no comparable statistics for the number of people who left New York across the Atlantic Ocean.