The Mass Exodus To ‘Red-State America’
In recent years we have literally seen millions of Americans relocate from blue states to red states.
In some cases, there is simply a desire to be around other like-minded people. In other cases, specific political policies that have been enacted in certain states have motivated large numbers of people to relocate. This was particularly true during the pandemic. Of course there are also many that are just trying to escape the crime, drugs, homelessness and violence that are plaguing so many major cities in blue states.
For those that are trying to raise a family, finding a safe environment for their children is often of the utmost importance.
As a result of the factors that I have just mentioned, we have been witnessing a “mass exodus” to “Red America” that is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Vast numbers of people have been moving from blue states such as California, New York and Illinois to red states such as Florida, Idaho and Montana.
More and more Americans are moving from Democratic-leaning blue states to Republican-voting red ones, and one of the effects of this change is that they are relocating to places with lower life expectancy.
Idaho, Montana and Florida, all red states, had the greatest population growth among U.S. states between 2020 and 2022. Meanwhile, New York and Illinois, both blue states, and Louisiana, a red state, suffered the biggest population losses. California, another blue state, has experienced significant recent population loss as well.
One key reason for this migration is the high cost of living in places like New York and California, compared with the lower cost of living in red states such as Georgia or Indiana.
The nationwide realignment that has been taking place is truly remarkable.
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According to economist Stephen Moore, approximately five million people have migrated out of Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey during that past 10 years.
A lot has been reported about celebrities like Joe Rogan moving out of California in recent years. However, economist Stephen Moore says there’s a much broader trend here.
During a recent interview with Fox Business, Moore claimed that over the last 10 years, about five million people have left the so-called “blue states” Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey.
“This is one of the biggest mass migrations in American history,” he said.
He is right. This really is one of the largest mass migrations in our entire history.
The red state that has gained the most from all of this domestic migration is Florida.
Among large states (those with a population above the 50-state average), the net-domestic-migration winner over the 13-quarter period after COVID-19’s arrival was Florida. The Sunshine State added a net tally of 819,000 Americans over that span. To put that into perspective, in just three years and change, Florida added more people from net domestic migration than the combined populations of Miami and Orlando. The large-state runner-up: Texas. It added 80% as many people as Florida (656,000).
The state that lost the most was California, which shed 1.2 million people through net domestic outmigration—the rough equivalent of San Francisco and Oakland’s combined populations. The runner-up loser was New York, which lost about three-quarters as many people as California.
Not too long ago, Florida was considered to be a “swing state” that was divided almost equally between Democrats and Republicans.
But now it is solidly red.
Many conservatives are attracted to the Sunshine State because there is no state income tax. Of course the spectacular weather doesn’t hurt, either.
According to a real estate company known as “Conservative Move,” large numbers of conservatives have also been relocating to South Carolina.
Conservative Move, a real-estate company with about 500 agents across the country, helps conservatives find homes near like-minded people—and South Carolina is becoming a big draw.
The group’s founder, Paul Chabot, told Business Insider that while Texas and Florida consistently rank among the top locations his conservative clients choose to move to, he’s seen a big spike in the number of people who want to relocate to South Carolina in the past two years. He said his company currently has about 5,000 clients who are considering moving to the state soon.
I really like South Carolina. In fact, in my latest book I ranked it number three out of all 50 states.
I would just recommend staying away from the coast and the major population centers.
In addition to a mass migration from blue state to red states, we are also seeing lots of people relocate to small towns and rural communities.
The remote work boom that prompted Americans to flee urban areas for mountain hamlets and seaside towns during the pandemic continued at least through last year, according to University of Virginia demographer Hamilton Lombard. An estimated 291,400 people last year migrated from other areas into America’s small towns and rural areas, which Lombard defines as metropolitan areas with 250,000 people or fewer.
Mid-size cities are also growing, but meanwhile large cities are bleeding residents at a rapid pace.
Areas with 250,000 to one million people saw a net in-migration of 266,448 people last year, while areas with one million to four million people recorded only a modest gain. Areas with more than four million people were the big losers, shedding almost 600,000 people last year, according to Lombard’s research using US Census Bureau data.
These days there is such a hunger for a high quality of life, and most of the core urban areas in our blue states do not have that to offer at this point.
Sean Hannity is one of those that has migrated to a red state from a large city in a blue state, and he sounds absolutely thrilled to have made the move.
Sean Hannity, the prominent Fox News personality, has made the decision to sell his expansive Long Island property for $13.75 million—mere months after revealing his relocation plans from New York to Florida.
In a notable shift, Hannity disclosed earlier this year that he would be broadcasting his renowned radio show, “The Sean Hannity Show,” as well as his television program, “Hannity,” from studios in West Palm Beach.
“We are now beginning our first broadcast from my new home, and that is in the free state of Florida,” Hannity announced on his iHeartRadio show. “I am out. I am done. I’m finished.”
Good for him.
But there is no place that is perfect, and the truth is that our country as a whole is very rapidly heading in the wrong direction.
So the reality of the matter is that ultimately there will be no hiding from our growing national problems. If we do not find a way to turn things around, our red states will eventually become just like our blue states.
Unfortunately, the clock is ticking and time is quickly slipping away.
Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
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