Escape from New York: 36% of Young Residents Among Those Leaving the High-Tax State

Blue-state blues.

(Marist Poll) — A sizeable proportion of New Yorkers, including more than one-third of those under age 30, may soon be sending out change of address notifications, but those new homes will not be in New York State. According to this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll, 26% of adults in New York State plan to move someplace else in the next five years while 67% say they will stay. Just 6% are unsure. Similar proportions of registered voters statewide share this view.

The picture is even bleaker when looking at the state’s youngest residents. 36% of New Yorkers under 30 years old report they will pack their bags and move to another state. 60%, however, say they will remain in the Empire State, and 3% are unsure.

“New Yorkers are feeling the financial squeeze on the home front. Right now, many young people do not see their future in New York State,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “Unchecked, this threatens to drain the state of the next generation.”

Older New Yorkers are less likely to move out of New York State in the next five years. 26% of those 30 to 44, 29% of residents 45 to 59, and 16% of those 60 and older think they will switch their state of residence.

Regionally, about one-third — 33% — of those in the suburbs of New York City, 26% of those upstate, and 24% of New York City residents report they will make their exit.

As to the reasons New Yorkers are planning their exit strategies:

Of residents who expect to leave New York, more than six in ten — 62% — cite economic reasons like jobs, the cost of living, or taxes. 38%, however, report non-economic reasons such as the proximity to family, overcrowding, quality of life, schools, or retirement as the catalyst.