Escape from NY: Two-thirds of states residents think about leaving or know someone who is: poll

They’re not in a New York state of mind.A new Empire Center for Public Policy survey of 600 New York state residents found that 33% are mulling packing their bags, and another 30% know someone who might.Most respondents, 30%, cited taxes as the biggest issue pushing them out of state, with the cost of living, cited by 25%, coming in second.Politics and governance (15%) and safety (6%) were the next biggest issues, and housing affordability (6%) followed.New York state has lost nearly a million residents since Gov.

Kathy Hochul took over in 2021, with many critics blaming her tax and spend policies for driving residents out.Gotham lost 114,000 residents in 2025 with Gen Zers fleeing the city faster than any other metro area, a Redfin analysis found.A James Dolan-bankrolled Super PAC supporting GOP nominee and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has poked fun at the Empire State Exodus with a series of new billboards displayed across the state.“You are Now Leaving NY (Like Everyone Else) Vote Bruce Blakeman,” read the Strong and Safe New York Inc-funded ads, alongside headshots of Hochul and Blakeman.Billionaires Ken Griffin and Marc Rowan have threatened to move thousands of jobs out of state over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s aggressively anti-rich policies.“We will add far more jobs in Miami over the next decade,” Griffin said after Mamdani posted a video lambasting his $238 million Midtown penthouse in an attempt to garner support for his pied-à-terre tax.New York has the highest state and local taxes in the nation, and collects a staggering $13,000 per capita, according to a study by the Citizens Budget Commission.Deeply liberal California, where Democrats have held a supermajority since 2018, collects some $9,000 per capita in state and local taxes, per the study.Some of those polled griped about Mayor Zohran Mamdani and illegal immigration.“Mamdani is bad for NY .

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he will drive out all capital and we will have a pre-Giuliani NY again.Poverty...