By Hank Russell
Nassau County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman seized upon a report from the state comptroller’s office showing more people are leaving New York State than moving in, saying the outmigration is the result of higher taxes and the unaffordable cost of living under the Hochul administration.
According to the report, between 2015 and 2024, 1,258,139 New York taxpayers moved into the state while 1,609,786 moved out — a population loss of 351,647. In 2024 alone, 121,251 people moved into the state while 134,913 left, resulting in a net migration of -13,662.
That same year, net outmigration was highest for married households with incomes between $100,000 and $500,000, with 11,512 migrating to the Empire State and 19,691 moving out, resulting in a net migration of -8,179, according to the comptroller’s office. The highest outmigration rate was among households making $500,000 or more. In 2024, New York lost 0.97% of these high-net-worth taxpayers to outmigration, with 3,421 coming to New York and 5,506 leaving.
The only positive trend was the in-migration of single filers during the last three years. The report found that, between 2022 and 2024, 288,849 moved in while 280,695 went elsewhere — a gain of 8,154 taxpaying residents.
“The latest state data proves Kathy Hochul has officially turned New York into a giant commercial for U-Haul,” Blakeman said. “Look at who is actually packing the boxes. It’s not just the ultra-wealthy — it’s married, middle-class couples leading New York’s mass exodus. Hochul’s taxes have made New York so brutal that renting a moving van and driving 1,000 miles away sounds like a relaxing family vacation.”
Blakeman also noted that the highest-earning taxpayers in the state “are jumping ship at record rates, taking the state’s tax base with them and leaving the rest of us to hold the bag. Hochul can’t keep milking the middle class until the state is completely empty.”
As part of his campaign, Blakeman said he will “stop the bleeding and actually rescue the middle class” by eliminating state income taxes on the first $50,000 of income for single filers and the first $100,000 for joint filers. “Let’s end the mass exodus, slash the tax burden, and make New York affordable enough that people can actually afford to stay.”
In response, Ryan Radulovacki, a spokesperson for the Hochul campaign, said in a statement, “While Governor Hochul fights tooth and nail for New Yorkers — from finally putting New York on a path to universal childcare, to cutting middle-class taxes to their lowest rate in 70 years, to putting energy rebate checks in pockets — Bruce Blakeman is doing the opposite: jacking up property taxes twice and letting violent crime spike to a ten-year high on his watch. New York families can’t afford Trump’s puppet in Nassau or his ‘MAGA all the way’ agenda.”