Americans Leaving Blue States for Tax Benefits
Ari Rastegar, the CEO of Rastegar Capital, recently appeared on “Fox News Live” to discuss a trend: Americans are moving from blue states to take advantage of lower taxes. He also touched on how rising interest rates are affecting the housing market, along with supply chain issues related to helium and fertilizer.
After CNBC released its latest annual quality of life ranking, the outlet faced significant backlash online. Its list designated all ten of the “worst places to live” as conservative red states, despite U.S. Census data showing that many of these states are actually growing in population.
Critics were quick to voice their opinions on social media, accusing CNBC of apparent liberal bias in its criteria. According to the ranking, the ten worst states are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, and Tennessee—all of which are Republican-led. These states are expected to support former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
CNBC emphasized its commitment to quality of life in its evaluations, stating that this aspect comprises 11.6% of a state’s overall score, a slight increase from previous years. Factors considered include crime rates, air quality, healthcare, child care, and laws regarding reproductive rights.
This evaluation is part of CNBC’s broader annual “America’s Top States for Business” survey. Surprisingly, the index also seems to penalize certain states for perceived shortcomings in their policies on discrimination and abortion rights.
Many are questioning the criteria used for such rankings. Conservative commentator Reverend Jordan Wells noted the absurdity of the list, pointing out that every state listed is a solidly red state, while blue states with high taxes and living costs somehow avoid the rankings.
Even other conservative voices chimed in sarcastically about the list’s validity, further critiquing CNBC’s media approaches. Tennessee, in particular, faced scrutiny over its “bathroom law,” which restricts transgender individuals’ choice of facilities, and recent measures aimed at designating June as “Nuclear Family Month.”
Utah, deemed the sixth worst, has a low minimum wage and poor child care options, while Georgia’s poor rating stems from limited rights for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Reacting to the list, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted that all states mentioned are led by Republicans, suggesting a pattern. Yet, conservative commentators highlight that people are “voting with their feet” for states that perhaps offer more appealing governance.
Formerly criticized states like Texas and Tennessee have seen increases in their populations—Texas gained over 67,000 new residents recently. Even states like Georgia and Alabama have experienced growth as people leave those former blue strongholds.
Overall, demographic changes reveal a significant post-pandemic migration away from historically blue areas toward regions in the South and Sunbelt that are thriving economically. In contrast, major cities such as New York and Los Angeles are losing residents due to high taxation and living costs.
Some evidence shows Los Angeles County lost more than 56,000 residents in just a year, reaffirming the trend of population decline in blue areas. Meanwhile, CNBC has yet to respond to inquiries regarding their methodologies for these rankings.
