Americans are fleeing high taxes in droves.
Hartford Democrats’ relentless tax-and-spend policies, record state budgets, union giveaways, prevailing wage mandates, and regulatory overreach are making our state one of the least competitive in the nation. Greenwich families and businesses are increasingly looking elsewhere for lower costs and greater opportunity. If Hartford's one-party rule continues down this path, our town will keep paying the price through closed businesses, lost residents, eroding property values, and higher taxes on those who remain. The national migration data is a warning for every Greenwich homeowner and taxpayer.
The Mercatus Center’s report on interstate migration from 2018–2023 delivers a clear verdict: Americans are voting with their feet against high-tax, high-spend policies. Low-tax states gained massive net inflows, while high-burden states hemorrhaged residents; particularly higher earners and businesses seeking better after-tax returns.
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States with higher tax burdens risk losing residents, particularly higher-income and more mobile households, to lower-tax jurisdictions. Efforts to raise revenue through higher marginal tax rates may therefore face important tradeoffs, including the gradual erosion of the tax base over time. |
Every one-point increase in tax burden correlates with significantly worse net migration. The data is unambiguous: tax policy directly affects take-home pay, pushing mobile households out of expensive, over-regulated blue states.
This isn’t random. It’s the predictable result of governments that prioritize expansive spending over competitiveness. Connecticut and similar high-tax (Democrat-ruled) states are losing the very people who drive growth and fill coffers, leaving behind shrinking tax bases and higher burdens on those who stay. (see Federalism and the Case for Republican Rule)
Policymakers ignore this at their peril. Reducing tax burdens works. The alternative, more spending, more taxes, is a proven recipe for population and wealth flight.
Read Here: Interstate Migration Trends in the United States, 2018–2023: Where Are Americans Moving, and Why? | Mercatus Center
