As plenty of people here in the commonwealth can relate, Massachusetts and I have a love-hate relationship. The opportunities afforded to residents abound due to strong research, development and overall innovation. But, as this noticeably bitter spring season exemplifies, there are plenty of reasons to seek sanctuary elsewhere.
According to the latest Gallup Poll – conducted between June and December 2013, of 6,000 adults in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia – 41 percent of Bay Staters would leave Massachusetts if they could. And Massachusetts isn’t the only New England state with residents harboring such negative sentiments.
Connecticut had the second most amount of residents hoping to leave, with a solid 49 percent. Only Illinois, with 51 percent of those surveyed, had more people considering their escape.
Maryland came in at third with 47 percent, followed by Nevada, 43 percent; Rhode Island, 42 percent; and New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, all with 41 percent.
Only Maine and New Hampshire represented New England in the field of states where the fewest residents would leave if they could, with 23 percent and 24 percent, respectively.
As Gallup notes, “Thirty-three percent of residents of the 50 states want to move to another state.”
But why?
For Massachusetts, surely taxes and cost of living are reasons enough.
There is a reason people jokingly seriously refer to Massachusetts as Taxachusetts, after all. The Bay State has a flat 5.25 percent income tax rate to go along with its 6.25 percent sales tax. The income tax rate poses problems, though, in that the same tax is levied across the entire range of the salary spectrum.
Cost of living is certainly higher here than it is in most other parts of the country. Boston in particular is an example of a place where recent graduates, young professionals and middle-income earners are struggling to keep from getting priced out. But if this alarming trend of economic disparity continues, it appears they’re poised to simply pack up their effects and leave.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is working on the affordable housing issue here in Boston, examining the idea of shared workforce housing in the form of skyscrapers to accommodate the city’s less affluent individuals.
If you’re gathering your personal items to flock with Massachusetts’ 41 percent soon-to-be expatriate community, here’s a curveball for you: Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed don’t want to unroot themselves. It’s a far cry from the likes of Montana’s 75 percent of residents who want to stay, but 58 percent is still a solid majority especially given the affinity for residents in the Northeast to want to leave.
But let’s hear from you. What are your thoughts about living in Massachusetts? Are you staunchly staying or are you motivated to move? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
