New data from the U.S. Census Bureau has found that Americans are voting with their feet, opting for lower taxes and cheaper, larger homes in the Sun Belt.

Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the most popular destinations for domestic immigrants last year. Together they generated a net income of approximately 366,000 people.

Meanwhile, residents said goodbye to California, New York and Illinois in droves. These states recorded the largest exodus, resulting in the loss of 540,000 people.

The bureau’s recently released data shows America’s continuing trends of domestic migration away from high-tax blue states to red states with lower income taxes.

Ana Bozovic Miami AnalyticsThe scientist who analyzed the data said it shows a flow of migration to Florida and other 21st-century epicenters in America that will continue for decades.

Last year, Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the most popular destinations for domestic immigrants. (Image: Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina)

‘Entrepreneurship and creation flow towards the path of least resistance,’ Bozovic said.

‘I don’t see a return: there will be no mass reverse migration to high-tax states.’

Americans mostly relocate for better jobs, affordable housing, cheaper costs of living and to reduce their tax bills.

Some are moving away from high-crime areas, homelessness and drug addicts stumbling on the sidewalk.

Mark Perry, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, says it’s about economics and policy choices.

Democratic leadership, he says, creates ‘economically stagnant, fiscally unhealthy states.’

He says residents are being pushed out by ‘high tax burdens and unfriendly business environments’.

He adds that red states are ‘more economically vibrant, dynamic and business-friendly’, meaning they attract newcomers with job and business opportunities and cheaper homes.

California was last year’s biggest loser, with a net exodus of nearly 268,000 residents.

About 55,000 of them went to Texas. Neighboring Arizona and Nevada were also popular destinations for those leaving the Golden State.

New York lost 179,000 people overall; More people left than went to the state.

Florida was by far the most popular destination for those leaving the Empire State, with 46,000 people making the transition.

Texas, meanwhile, had the largest net gain of any state, by nearly 133,000 people.

Florida increased by 126,000 people and North Carolina increased by 107,000 people.

Scott Wilhide, his wife Alysia, and their son settled in their new home in Houston, Texas, after leaving Jackson, Pennsylvania.

It’s time to go. A moving truck in front of a house in Queens, New York City.

The sight of homeless people struggling with fentanyl addiction on the streets of the Bay Area has become all too common for some longtime residents.

State taxes help explain this move.

California’s 13.3 percent state income tax rate and a 10.9 percent tax on New Yorkers’ paychecks are prompting residents to pack.

Hawaii, New Jersey and Oregon are losing people due to double-digit income tax rates.

Florida and Texas impose no state income tax, which undoubtedly attracts many newcomers.

South Dakota, Tennessee and Nevada are also particularly attractive because they don’t tax workers’ wages, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit policy group.

Still, it remains unclear whether low-tax red states offer a better deal overall.

Residents of red southern states often struggle to access decent schools and health care or instead struggle with high property taxes.

Property prices also help explain the movement pattern.

According to Zillow, the typical home price in California ($791,000) and New York ($459,000) is much higher than in Texas ($303,000) and Florida ($415,000).

This trend affects people from all walks of life.

Billionaire Elon Musk is perhaps the best-known member of the exodus from California.

In July, he said he would move his social media platform X and space company SpaceX from the Golden State to Texas.

Even billionaires are leaving the Golden State. Elon Musk said that the last straw for him was the state law that helps children change gender at school without notifying their parents.

Jared Troutman, 45, and Grace Xu, 37, didn’t want to spend $1 million on a single bed in California

He has long complained about California’s liberal policies, but said the final straw was a law that allows children to change gender at school without telling their parents.

The same applies to those with limited budgets.

Jason Troutman, 45, and Grace Xu, 37, moved to Arizona from California because they couldn’t afford to buy a decent place in their San Bruno neighborhood.

‘At the end of the day, we couldn’t afford to pay a million dollars for a tiny, one-bedroom house,’ they said.

Instead, they opted for a quaint $695,000 home with a pool, palm trees and mountain views in the Ahwatukee neighborhood on Phoenix’s south side.

“You can’t get all of this in California anymore unless you’re Elon Musk,” said Troutman, who works remotely.

Their mortgage costs less than their $2,600 monthly rent in San Bruno, and they finally have enough space for the cat and dog they want.

Still, Troutman said they miss the Bay Area’s natural beauty, food scene and family ties there.

“It wasn’t necessarily that we wanted to leave the Bay Area,” he told The Mercury News. ‘But it made perfect sense.’

Some demographers say politics also affects migration trends.

Some New Yorkers are leaving the state due to homelessness and other social problems, such as camping in a downtown New York park

Parts of the South are becoming increasingly populated. Image: Construction in the fast-growing downtown area of ​​Saint Petersburg, Florida

This homeless trailer camp in Northern California highlights the high cost of housing in the Golden State

Republican-run states tend to be more socially conservative; This appeals to people who share these values ​​and want to live in an area where abortion is restricted and it is easier to own a firearm.

Some New York and California residents have undoubtedly considered moving elsewhere due to fear of overcrowding, homelessness, and crime.

But others are moving to blue states for their own political reasons.

These include women who want to live in a place where they can access abortion or families with transgender children who want to access gender reassignment care.

America’s interstate migration could affect the outcome of future elections.

Electoral boundaries are constantly redrawn as populations change.

Texas, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon received Electoral College votes as a result of the 2020 Census.

Meanwhile, California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia lost voting clout.