May 30, 2023
ECONOMY

Massachusetts residents are leaving the state. Why? And where are they going?

Kana Ruhalter and Arun Rath ,

WGBH - All Things Considered

Massachusetts is hemorrhaging people. In fact, it’s seeing the highest outmigration numbers in the last 30 years, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. A net 110,000 people moved out of the Bay State over roughly the first two years of the pandemic within the United States, most of them between the ages of 26 and 35.

The question is: why? Rent is certainly a factor. Boston has the second-highest median rent in the country after New York City. Traffic congestion and the many woes of the MBTA have also dominated headlines. But learning that the future of the workforce is leaving in record-high numbers has many waving red flags.

Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, joined GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath to break down the report in more detail.