Nearly 90,000 People Fled New York State in a Year
People continue to flee New York State.
It feels like there's a running joke in New York that people can't get out fast enough. You're either making the joke, agreeing with the joke, or part of the joke. From 2018 to 2019, it seems like thousands were part of the joke because nearly 90,000 people actually left New York State for good.
According to Zippia, New York was the fourth most left state between 2018 and 2019. Falling behind Alaska, West Virginia, and Illinois. 88,648 people moved out of New York State between 2018 and 2019. That's about .45% of the state's population. Compared to Alaska, West Virginia, and Illinois, that's less than the percentage of their state's population that left, but more people leaving New York than those states.
Zippia reports that the majority of the people who permanently left New York State moved right across the border to New Jersey. They say this is because you get more bang for your buck in New Jersey, at least in terms of home costs.
In 2020, people probably left New York State even more as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state harder than most. While we don't have data on that yet, we do know that people have been fleeing New York City for the Hudson Valley region. Various real estate agents said they have never seen anything like it when discussing the amount of New York City residents moving to the Hudson Valley. Some have told stories of posting a home for sale and 24 hours later having 10 showings scheduled and three offers.