New Yorkers seem to be reconsidering their living situation.
A recent survey conducted by the Empire Center for Public Policy involved 600 residents and found that 33% are contemplating leaving the state, while another 30% know someone who might be thinking about it.
The main reason cited by 30% of the respondents for wanting to leave is taxes. Following closely behind, 25% pointed to the high cost of living as a major factor.
Politics and governance, mentioned by 15%, and safety concerns, noted by 6%, were the next most significant reasons, with another 6% highlighting housing affordability.
Since Governor Kathy Hochul took office in 2021, New York has seen a decline of nearly a million residents, with critics often blaming her fiscal policies for this exodus.
Furthermore, in 2025, New York City lost 114,000 people, and a Redfin analysis indicated that Generation Z is leaving the city more rapidly than in any other metropolitan area.
A Super PAC funded by James Dolan, supporting GOP nominee Bruce Blakeman, has made light of the situation, displaying billboards across the state stating, “You are Now Leaving NY (Like Everyone Else) Vote Bruce Blakeman,” alongside images of Hochul and Blakeman.
Additionally, billionaires Ken Griffin and Marc Rowan have expressed intentions to relocate thousands of jobs out of New York due to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s harsh policies towards wealth. Griffin claimed, “We will add far more jobs in Miami over the next decade,” after Mamdani criticized his luxury Midtown penthouse in a bid for support for his pied-à-terre tax.
New York holds the record for the highest state and local taxes in the country, with a staggering collection of about $13,000 per person, as reported by the Citizens Budget Commission. In comparison, California, known for its liberal stance and having had a Democratic supermajority since 2018, collects around $9,000 per capita.
Some survey participants expressed their frustrations regarding Mayor Mamdani and the topic of illegal immigration.
One Republican man, aged between 40 and 54, remarked, “Mamdani is bad for NY… he will drive out all capital and we will have a pre-Giuliani NY again. Poverty and crime — sad.”
An individual in the same demographic added, “Because Albany cares more about illegal immigrants than they do disabled veterans when we’re the ones that fought to give people the rights they have today.”
Meanwhile, a registered Democrat woman aged 18 to 39 mentioned, “New York City is getting too expensive and it feels like no matter how much taxes you pay, you are still getting screwed in high car insurance fees, congestion prices, and not to mention the lack of parking anywhere.”
