According to the Census Bureau, the Census Bureau estimates of the population of 50 states and the District of Columbia in July last year show that blue-state populations have been on the rise in astounding numbers. The exodus is also a boon for the red-state population.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Texas and Florida account for about 15% of the U.S. population but accounted for 70% of the country’s population growth in the past year. Even after the lockdowns ended, the trend away from progressive-run countries continues.
Between July 2021-2022, the U.S. population grew by approximately 1.2 million. One million of that was due to immigration.
Washington Examiner:
Domestic migration — the amount of U.S. citizens who leave the state, minus those who enter — was 3.3% in New York State in 2020-22. It was 2.2% in Illinois and California. These numbers are alarming and higher than in any other state. As suggested by the District of Columbia (where the pre-COVID population was increasing but was down 3.8% in 2020-22), these losses are certain to be concentrated in central cities.
These states also have the highest local and state tax rates in the country and high housing prices due to strict regulations. This has sparked outmigration for over a decade. Post-COVID woes — lockdowns, masking mandates, post-George Floyd upward speed in violent crime, and the spreading of homeless encampments — have sparked an even larger exodus, which seems unlikely to be reversed.
Michael Barone, the Examiner’s correspondent, reveals some interesting facts about migration between blue and red states. Five states bordering the Pacific Ocean once attracted Middle America with their scenic beauty, but have lost their appeal. Americans are leaving those states to move into Nevada, Utah Idaho, Montana, and Idaho. Taxes are much lower in these areas than they are in California, Washington, and Oregon.
These Interstate corridors are moving in opposite directions to movements that took place in wartime and postwar years, from the 1940s through the 1970s. Then, you could see substantial migrations of both white and black Southerners to the great cities in the Northeast — Washington Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York — as well as to Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland in the industrial Midwest.
Similar to Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, postwar growth and wartime industries led people from Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana to California and the Pacific Northwest.
These migrations were much greater in percentage terms and absolute numbers than we see today. This is why the most significant movements of today — from New York, Chicago, California, to Florida, Texas — stand out so clearly.
This is not only about lower taxes. Blue states are seeing people move out due to better schools, better opportunities for work, and greater freedom. It is interesting to see the difference between California, Florida, and other states.
Florida has no income tax and a wide range of private school options. It doesn’t regulate businesses. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not have to place ads in progressive states. “The Sunshine State sells itself,” says the WSJ Editorial Board.
Problem with all this migration? Blue-state residents often find themselves in shock when they move to a state with fewer government benefits. Blue-state residents long for the same government amenities that they used to have but are no longer available in many red states.
Colorado was once a reliable red state. But, in the 1980s, and 1990s, blue-state Democrats moved there. You can see the same thing happening in Arizona today. Residents of the blue state don’t move. They don’t change to free market principles and certainly do not adopt culturally conservative views.
In ten years’ time, will we be able to recognize Florida, Texas, and other Republican states of the United States as red states?
