Americans are fleeing blue states such as New York and California for southern and southeastern states, especially Texas and Florida, according to a new study.
As violent crime surges in liberal metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and New York City, residents are migrating south to red areas, according to a new report by North American Van Lines (NAVL).
“Despite the 2020 pandemic, this year Americans are following similar moving trends as prior years. Millions of Americans are moving either to start a new job or to move home,” the Indiana-based moving and trucking company said in its 2020 Migration Report. The company offers long distance and local moving services as well as storage services.
The report found that Californians who have opted to leave are largely moving south to Texas or north to Idaho.
Among states experiencing a large exodus of residents, New York, in particular New York City, saw the most people leave. The next cities people are leaving are three California cities, Anaheim, San Diego, and Riverside, as well as Chicago.
In addition to New Yorkers, dwellers of three states in particular, New Jersey, Maryland, and California are fleeing to southern and southeastern states. Residents of Pennsylvania and Michigan are also fleeing, but this is a continuation of a trend from previous years since both states have frequently ranked in the top 10 for outbound moves. Illinois also remains in the top 10 for outbound moves as violence in Chicago spikes compared to this time last year.
Meanwhile, the most popular destinations for movers are Idaho, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Colorado. Last year, Tennessee became more popular than South Carolina, compared to the 2019 results.
The city most popular as a moving destination is now Phoenix, followed by Houston in second place, then Dallas, Atlanta, and Denver.
“With Texas’ warm climate and low taxes it’s not surprising that three of the top ten MSA [Metropolitan Statistical Area] destinations are in Texas,” the report said.
The exodus of residents from blue states comes as violent crime surges in the very major metropolitan areas where movements to defund the police have taken root. Conservatives have expressed concern that an influx of people from areas that vote Democrat could end up turning red states purple, despite the crime wave in blue areas being the result of Democrat policies.
In New York City, shootings increased 73% to 173 in May compared to only 100 in May 2020, according to the NYPD. Crime was up in the city 22% in May compared to the same time last year.
Chicago has seen 289 homicides this year, 16 more than last year, including over a string of deadly weekends recently. Over the past two weekends, nine people were killed and nearly 100 others were injured by gun violence in the city.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, murders have shot up 22% over the same period last year, with 141 murders in the city so far this year. In 2021, 600 people have been shot, an increase of 59% compared to this point last year.
“When we look at the underlying influences of that street violence … those involved with gangs continues to be the highest area of concentration,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the LA Police Commission last week.