The Census Bureau recently released domestic migration data showing where people are moving within the United States. Red states are winning. North Carolina gained 84,000 people in 2025, followed by Texas (67,000) and South Carolina (66,000). The biggest losers were blue states: California (minus 229,000), New York ( minus 137,000) and Illinois ( minus 40,000). Massachusetts lost 33,340 residents to other states.
Americans are fleeing high-tax states for friendlier havens. The top three red states have either no income tax or declining rates, while the blue states rely on high, progressive income taxes layered with other costly fees, making moving a rational choice for many families. Nothing quite stirs people like the cost of living.
Take New York and California’s median home prices, for example: $559,000 and $833,000, respectively. And although Illinois’ median price is a little lower, its high tax and regulatory burdens close the gap on the challenges all three states pose for those who live there. The Massachusetts median home price: $625,000.
Right-to-work is another policy driving decisions for people and businesses, even if it’s subtle. Right-to-work states allow people to take a job without being forced to join a union or pay union dues. If a person wants to join a union, they can; right-to-work just ensures they have the freedom to choose for themselves.
Twenty-six states have right-to-work laws, including North Carolina, Texas, and South Carolina. Absent from that list are many states with strong union influences, including California, New York and Illinois. Studies show that right-to-work states attract more businesses and deliver higher incomes for workers than non-right-to-work states.
And then there’s education. Since the pandemic, when many parents got a front-row seat to what their children were learning and grew dissatisfied with the quality of their child’s education, more than 30 states adopted some form of school choice — including North Carolina, Texas, and South Carolina. Several red states — including Arizona, Florida, Iowa and West Virginia — have universal school choice, which means all families in those states, regardless of income, are allowed to apply for funds to pay for their children’s education, whether that’s private, homeschooling, or a hybrid learning environment. These policies give parents options they can’t get in California or New York.
Americans are voting with their feet, choosing states with a lower cost of living, better job markets and quality schools.
Domestic migration has implications beyond population shifts. Some states will gain congressional seats while others will lose them. California is poised to lose four seats in the next apportionment, while New York and Illinois will lose two. Texas and Florida, meanwhile, will gain four seats.
As Ari Fleischer highlighted on X, these trends are not a good sign for the Democratic Party. Donald Trump won the top 10 states that are gaining the most population, while Kamala Harris won the top 10 states that are losing the most population. State policy is proving to have a significant effect on the balance of power at the national level.
Beyond their effects on elections, these migration trends exemplify the beauty of America’s federalist system of government. Federalism — where states retain power independent of Washington — is what makes this possible.
Imagine an America without the states — where every decision, from schooling to taxes, is dictated from Washington.
For years, this has been the Left’s mentality, one that prefers a strong national government over powerful states. As Ronald Reagan famously put it, “the states created the federal government, not the other way around.”
The 10th Amendment gives states far more discretion over policy than the national government, and for good reason. Closer to and more responsive to the people, states can adapt their policies to meet the unique needs of their communities.
These migration trends are a reminder: the states matter, and so does the freedom to leave one for the other.
Brooke Medina is the vice president of communications at State Policy Network/InsideSources
