The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said in a report that 750,000 people have left the state over the past three decades, and it’s only gotten worse during the pandemic. One of the main reasons? The high costs of everything from child care to housing to transportation. Businesses are also feeling the pain, both from the resulting workforce shortage and the heavy tax burden our state places on businesses.

“In 2021, Massachusetts ranked fourth behind only high-cost states New York, California, and Illinois, with 46,000 people leaving the Commonwealth,” the report says. “Regions like Greater Boston that have high living costs with a concentration of white-collar jobs that can