Since the Onset of COVID, Blue States Are Losing Population at an Astonishing Rate

PJ Media ^ | 12/29/2022 | Rick Moran

[SeekAndFind]

The Census Bureau’s estimates of the population of the 50 states and the District of Columbia as of last July show that blue-state populations are on the move in astonishing numbers. And red-state populations are benefitting hugely from the exodus.

“Texas and Florida make up about 15% of the U.S. population but accounted for 70% of its population growth this past year,” reports the Wall Street Journal. And the movement away from progressive-run states continues, even after the lockdowns have ended.

The U.S. population grew by about 1.2 million between July 2021 and July 2022, with immigration accounting for a million of the total.

Washington Examiner:

Domestic out-migration — the number of U.S. residents leaving the state minus those entering — in 2020-22 was 3.3% of the 2020 population in New York state and 2.2% in Illinois and California. These are staggering numbers, far higher than any other state. The losses are undoubtedly concentrated in central cities, as suggested by the District of Columbia, where pre-COVID population was growing but in 2020-22 was down 3.8%.

Not coincidentally, these states have some of the nation’s highest state and local tax rates and high housing costs due to restrictive regulations. That has spurred out-migration for more than a decade. The post-COVID woes — lockdowns and masking mandates, the post-George Floyd upward zoom in violent crime, and the spread of homeless encampments — have sparked a larger exodus that seems unlikely to be fully reversed.

The Examiner’s Michael Barone points out some striking facts about migration from blue to red states. The five states that border the Pacific Ocean — once beckoning Middle America to their scenic beauty — have lost their allure.

[SeekAndFind]

Americans are moving out of those states and moving into Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Montana, where taxes are a fraction of what they are in California, Washington, and Oregon.

[PGR88]

That’s why electoral fraud must be conducted in red/swing states.

[Theoria]

Migration always destroys.

[Leep]

WE are getting what we deserve for stuff our great great great parents may.. or may not have.. done.

[blackdog]

I give it another year before you will need permission from the state or federal government to relocate.

[T.B. Yoits]

From the article: Since the onset of COVID Democrat rioting in blue cities...

The Democrats are lining up to blame the Scamdemic for the departure of productive people from red states in order to force red states to bail out blue states through the Federal governemnt. It wasn't COVID that caused the migration, it's high taxes, anti-business environments, wokism, mental illness, and how Democrat politicians publicly supported rioting, arson, and looting in blue cities.

[the OlLine Rebel]

It’s all of the above.

But of course, these bastard hypocrites are going to vote the same commie-loving ways.

[Brilliant]

Too bad we won’t have a census for another 8 years. As an aside the GOP has got to do a better job of getting red states to report their numbers in the census. The Dems cheated the GOP out of at least two congressional seats and perhaps as many as 8 by finagling the census. And that carries over to the Presidential election as well because the electoral college is determined by the census.

[SaxxonWoods]

A red county in an out-of-the-way location in a purple state may be a good location going forward. I’ll hope it stays nice. When I was young I was around a lot of farmers and they were great people. Now I’m old and around them again and they are still great people.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

But of course, these bastard hypocrites are going to vote the same commie-loving ways.

That's always the danger. When I was growing up in CA in the 70s and 80s, California was Reagan Country. That was before Silicon Valley and illegal immigration drew in hordes of people who vote Democrat.

[vetvetdoug]

Personal observation here in North Central Arkansas has found Illinois, Cal, and NY former residents retiring and moving in the area in high numbers.

[SeekAndFind]

If those answers are even close to accurately reflecting the direction of political migration, a national re-sorting is unfolding on an historic scale and it’s mostly right-of-center voters who are moving, though a few caveats are in order.

First, it’s possible survey respondents exaggerated since it implies that 10.7 million voters will be moving in the next twelve months for a region to which they are more aligned. That’s a large number given that only around 30 million Americans (not just voters) have moved annually for any reason over the last several years, according to the Census Bureau.

On the other hand, in earlier periods moving was far more common, often exceeding 40 million Americans annually in the 1980s and 1990s, so perhaps the survey reflects a coming return to high migration rates thanks to growing political division.

It’s also possible that far more people are moving for political reasons than a survey would uncover. A person who cares nothing about politics might well say, for example, that she moved to Florida for a good job, low taxes and less crime, not recognizing such things are inherently political.

Second, the survey asked about moves to a different region, which may or may not be a different state, so you cannot necessary let the survey characterize all interstate migration. Intrastate political migration happens, too. For example, liberals in southern Illinois may move to Chicago; conservatives in Portland may head to eastern Oregon and liberals in upstate New York might prefer NYC.

Still, what’s striking about the survey results is how much more likely Republicans and Independents are inclined to move for political reasons than Democrats. The survey therefore certainly does seem to confirm that political preference is a major factor behind the recently released new Census Bureau estimates of interstate migration. For 2022, the bureau estimated particularly severe population losses for New York, Illinois, California and other blue states, with Texas and Florida as the big winners. Taking the survey and census numbers together, in other words, certainly seems to indicate that conservatives and independents are fleeing the most liberal states and dominating interstate migration.

[SaxxonWoods]

Exactly right. Liberals are more prone to stay in their decaying areas. Moving to a red state for a better life would be an admission that liberalism is a failure.

All this moving is going to work out very well, imo.

[momincombatboots]

This is so bad that lol of the amendments for Tennessee were voted straight blue. Those folks who voted for the affordable care act, green, homo politicians are destroying red states by coming here and voting for the same politics they left to avoid.

[nwrep]

They may hate those policies, but they hate Republicans even more.

[353FMG]

>>. And red-state populations are benefiting hugely from the exodus<<

Not so. The red states will be destroyed by the infectious disease of liberalism.

[brianl703]

No, all they need to do is have a high tax for selling your house, which is refundable as long as you use the proceeds to purchase another house in the same state.

[Labyrinthos]

From the Article: Colorado, once a fairly reliable red state, was destroyed by blue-state Democrats moving there in the 1980s and ’90s. Look at Arizona today, and you’re seeing a repeat of what happened in Colorado. Blue-state residents don’t change their spots when they move. They don’t convert to free market principles, and they certainly don’t adopt more culturally conservative views.

Colorado is a lost cause and it will only get worse as conservatives lose hope and abandon the state for places like Texas and Wyoming. Arizona still has hope in that at the local level, state house/senate, and U.S. House of Representatives, the state is still solid red. Indeed, if not for Mitch McConnell pulling the plug on Blake McMaster, the Maricopa Board of Supervisor's hate for any candidate backed by Trump (the Board is controlled by the GOP 4 to 1), and wide-spread cheating (which the Maricopa Board of Supervisors condoned out of their hate from Trump), I am confident that the GOP would have won big at the federal, state, and local level.

With that said, we will be abandoning New York for Arizona within the year, where we hope that our conservative voices will make a difference.

[dereknunley]

Then there will be alot of payouts for fire insurance.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

If you do - and if you choose Phoenix - let me know and I’ll hook you up with my conservative sister who’s a former Mrs America and realtor down there. She can help you navigate the good areas.