Americans flee liberal coastal cities in New York California in favor of red states Arizona, Idaho
The pandemic saw people leave the Democratic blue states of the northeastern United States and head towards sunnier climes and the red states of the south, southwest and southeast of the country.
A migration report from moving company North American Moving Services found those living in the states of New York, , , New Jersey and Maryland headed for , Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and .
Four of the top seven states people were fleeing were located in the Northeast where the pandemic stuck first.
Out of the moves conducted in Illinois, almost 70% were people moving out of the state.
The company say Phoenix, Houston and Dallas were the top three cities welcoming new residents while New York City, Anaheim and San Diego in California saw the highest numbers of people leave.
The move away from the likes of New York was driven, in part, by an increased fear of living in densely populated cities amid the pandemic.
In addition to grappling COVID-19, New York City in particular has also struggled with escalating crime and homelessness in recent months.
But researchers also found among the reasons people were picking up and heading to the Sun Belt states were job availability, the cost of living and harsh winters.
'Northeastern states make up four out of the seven states with the most outbound moves, and none of them make the top eight for inbound moves. New York led the way, followed by New Jersey and Maryland. But California edged out Maryland for fourth place on the outbound list,' the NAMS report concluded.
'Pennsylvania and Michigan also made the list, and both states have made the top 10 fairly consistently for the past few years. Maryland has made the list for outbound moves since 2015, and it has ranked between second and fifth places. In 2020, it took fifth place.'
The moving company data showed that states that have much less densely populated areas were a big draw card for people looking to relocate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many Americans opted for the more rural states, those in New York and New Jersey moved to Sunbelt states like Tennessee and The Carolinas, the data shows.
'States in the south consistently rank well in the list of inbound moves. On average, states throughout the southeast, south and southwest continue to see their populations grow as more individuals relocate there than leave the region. Arizona and South Carolina have been in the top five inbound states since 2015,' according to the report.
'Meanwhile, North Carolina and Tennessee have always been on the list but reached the top five in 2016. While Tennessee usually sat in fifth place or so, it is now in third place for inbound moves. Florida and Texas have also been in the top 12 since the first report in 2015.'
States in the south have experienced job growth due to companies relocating to or opening branches in the area. While the pandemic has changed things, there are still plenty of jobs in the south.
Southern states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee don’t have a state income tax. Arizona and the Carolinas have a state income tax, but rates are relatively low, not surpassing seven percent.
Of all Western states, only California has consistently ranked in the top 10 for outbound moves since 2015.
The percentage has fluctuated over time, but enough people continue to leave to make it stand out. California’s high cost of living could be the reason for so many outbound moves, along with a lack of affordable housing in some cities.
Data also reveals people moved to houses which were $27,000 more affordable on average, and also 33-square feet larger.
Data seen by Zillow saw many people move to the suburbs - a trend that was exacerbated by the pandemic after living close to an office was no longer a motivating factor in location choice.
The majority of those who have relocated came from densely populated cities in search of greener, sparser or more remote pastures.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9686593/Americans-flee-liberal-coastal-cities-New-York-California-favor-red-states-Arizona-Idaho.html