We’re #1!

According to 24/7 Wall Street of the American cities losing population Chicago has lost more residents than any other—nearly 300,000 since 2010:

The 50 cities where the most people are moving to can primarily be found in the Sun Belt, particularly in states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Among the fastest growing cities are places like Dallas, Miami, and Phoenix.

William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy research group, explained that these cities adding several hundred thousand new residents due to migration are part of the long-term trend of movement from the Northeast and the Midwest to warmer climates, a trend that has increased in recent years.

but that’s an oversimplification. Los Angeles is #2 on the list of “cities Americans are abandoning”. Unless you redefine “Sun Belt” and “warmer” pretty radically, those just aren’t that predictive. A number of California cities—Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia—are among those Americans are leaving and there’s an obvious profile. The white working class is leaving Los Angeles and Bakersfield for Dallas, Miami, and Phoenix.

I don’t think that people are just looking for warm weather. I think they’re looking for a place they can afford to live. I think they’re looking for hope.

Update

After reviewing the entire lists of cities that Americans are leaving and those they’re “flocking to”, it’s obvious that tax policy has an enormous amount to do with it. Taxes, jobs, affordability, weather, probably in that order.