A new study reveals the U.S. state people want to move from the most is New York, with the highest number of people moving elsewhere. California is second, with a high cost of living and average rent of $3,000. This relates to people moving within the U.S., crossing state boundaries.
The review comes from Rocket Moving, who analysed all 50 U.S. states to identify the ones people want to move from the most. The study takes into account international and domestic migration as well as happiness score, quality of life, cost of living, and average rent.
All the initial data was taken from reports by the U.S. Census and World Population Review. Then, the study calculated the total migration rates per capita in one year, by which the states are ranked.
The data reveals:
| State | Population | Net Domestic Migration | Net Domestic migration per 100,000 (2020-2023) | Net international migration | Net international migration per 100,000 (2020-2023) |
| New York | 19,571,216 | -882,676 | -4,510.0723 | 108,036 | 552.0148 |
| California | 38,965,193 | -1,197,950 | -3,074.4105 | 171,223 | 439.4255 |
| Illinois | 12,549,689 | -364,443 | -2,904.0003 | 43,472 | 346.3990 |
| Hawaii | 1,435,138 | -41,670 | -2,903.5535 | 7,953 | 554.1627 |
| Louisiana | 4,573,749 | -110,709 | -2,420.5307 | 11,481 | 251.0195 |
| Alaska | 733,406 | -17,356 | -2,366.4928 | 3,306 | 450.7735 |
| Massachusetts | 7,001,399 | -149,466 | -2,134.8019 | 61,263 | 875.0108 |
| Maryland | 6,180,253 | -99,579 | -1,611.2447 | 33,300 | 538.8129 |
| New Jersey | 9,290,841 | -153,193 | -1,648.8604 | 55,037 | 592.3791 |
| North Dakota | 783,926 | -7,192 | -917.4335 | 1,752 | 223.4905 |
And:
| State | Sum from 2020 to 2023 | Sum for 1 year per 100,000 | Happiness ranking | Quality of life | Cost of living | Rent | Safety |
| New York | -3,958.0576 | -989.5144 | 53.36 | 1 | 125 | $3,400 | 52 |
| California | -2,634.9850 | -658.7463 | 59.97 | 2 | 135 | $3,000 | 49 |
| Illinois | -2,557.6012 | -639.4003 | 58.59 | 4 | 91 | $1,650 | 48 |
| Hawaii | -2,349.3908 | -587.3477 | 66.31 | 43 | 179 | $2,850 | 60 |
| Louisiana | -2,169.5113 | -542.3778 | 34.81 | 37 | 92 | $1,395 | 32 |
| Alaska | -1,915.7193 | -478.9298 | 46.27 | 50 | 124 | $1,489 | 55 |
| Massachusetts | -1,259.7911 | -314.9478 | 57.12 | 6 | 148 | $2,900 | 60 |
| Maryland | -1,072.4318 | -268.1080 | 62.60 | 31 | 120 | $1,844 | 53 |
| New Jersey | -1,056.4813 | -264.1203 | 61.71 | 7 | 114 | $2,200 | 55 |
| North Dakota | -693.9431 | -173.4858 | 57.37 | 38 | 95 | $831 | 48 |
From the tables, the state people want to move from the most is New York, with 989 people moving from the state per 100,000 residents. The state ranks first in quality of life among all U.S. states but also has the highest rent at $3,400 on average. Despite attracting more international migrants, New York has experienced a net domestic population loss of over 882,000 in the past three years.
California is second in the ranking of the U.S. states people want to move from the most, with 658 movers per capita. The state has a high happiness index, but the prices are the most difficult for residents to handle. California has the third highest cost of living in the ranking and an average rent of $3,000.
Illinois takes third place, seeing 639 residents per capita move elsewhere. People are happier here than in New York with a more affordable cost of living and cheaper rent. Illinois sees positive international migration but more people move to other U.S. states, with 364,443 more people leaving Illinois in the last 3 years than moving here.
Hawaii holds fourth place, with 587 people moving from the state per capita. The state has one of the highest international migration rates in the top 10, totaling 554 people per 100,000, but the domestic migration is negative. Hawaii has the highest happiness index but also the highest cost of living, almost twice the national average.
Louisiana is fifth in the ranking of the U.S. states people want to move from the most, facing 542 people moving away per capita. The state ranks low in the quality of life and has a low happiness index but it is partly compensated by one of the most affordable rents at $1,395. The state also has the lowest safety index at 32, almost twice as low as in Hawaii.
