Mind the stampede on your way out — New York has lost 1.6 million residents to other states in the past decade, according to a new report from the Empire Center for State Policy.
That’s the rough equivalent of having the entire city of Philadelphia (population 1.5 million) simply disappear from the map.
In a way, this isn’t news: For two decades, New York has led the nation in domestic outmigration — the percentage of residents leaving for other climes.
But the numbers aren’t looking any better these days. A May survey found that 36% of New Yorkers under 30 plan to flee the state because of high taxes, the crippling cost of living and a basic lack of jobs.
Things have been bad enough to trigger a reverse of the Great Migration — “black flight” back to the South, where ex-New Yorkers make up a hefty piece of the population boom.
The effect is visible: New York’s congressional delegation will soon be pared down to a threadbare 27 members — the smallest pack in just under 200 years.
In absolute numbers, the city hasn’t been shrinking; it’s an immigration magnet. But many new arrivals soon look for greener pastures.
With good reason: New York has the highest local levies and second-highest state taxes in the US. And property taxes are a sick joke: The 15 US counties with the highest property-tax burdens, as a percentage of home value, are all in New York.
Burdens like that send a clear message: Go west young man . . . or south . . . or anywhere but here.
So when New Yorkers flee for the hills, who can blame them?