15 States That Boomers No Longer Want to Live in
The state you live in can define your state of mind. Boomers know this well, so they have long flocked to the union’s sunniest, greenest, tax-friendliest states.
A Boomer migration can be a bellwether for where a state is headed. If you find a flock of sixty- and seventy-somethings leaving or arriving in your state, it’s wise to pay attention.
If you live in one of the states where Boomers are departing in large numbers, consider that something in your state may be seriously awry. Love them or hate them, the Boomers aren’t choosing to leave at random—they have their reasons, and many of them are pretty compelling.
1. Alaska
Alaska has always been among the states with the fewest people per square mile, but in recent years, sparse parcels of land have become even more bereft of human life.
Alaska saw a population loss of -.8% in 2021, making it the state that lost the most residents that year. Brutal winters, lack of cities with modern amenities, and the general remoteness of The Last Frontier are not especially conducive to retiree life.
2. Florida
Long the cliche sunny oasis for retirees, Boomers have decided that Florida isn’t it anymore.
Florida has its advantages, not limited to the sunshine and the absence of a state income tax. However, Boomers and others are over the overcrowding, rising cost of living, and humidity that also comes with life in modern-day Florida. Out with Florida, in with Appalachia, the Boomers say.
3. California
Americans are fleeing California, as well as its sky-high taxes, abundant homeless population, tight regulations, and a general sense that Californians must fend for themselves to ensure their physical and financial security.
Many Boomers who spent their lives in California are biting the bullet and fleeing for calmer waters. More than one-third of Californians say they’re considering leaving due to the crushing cost of living, and many act on those thoughts.
4. New York
The Empire State has become the U-Haul State. While New Yorkers could once justify high taxes due to an abundance of natural beauty, top-tier food, family ties, and the Big Apple, the data indicates that the cons of living in New York now outweigh the pros.
New York lost a whopping 101,984 residents in a recent 12-month span. This is bad news for a state that relies heavily on its tax base, and this could spell higher taxes for those that remain to make up the difference.
5. Illinois
The state Abraham Lincoln called home lost 113,776 residents between July 2020 and July 2021. It was not as if something happened during that time that suddenly prompted an Illi-exodus (aside from arguably draconian lockdown policies in parts of the state), but instead was the manifestation of decades-long decay.
The state’s crown jewel, Chicago, has lost its sense of safety. Illinoisans also face the nation’s highest combined state and local tax burdens, which is reason enough to depart.
6. Texas
There is a misconception that Texas is a state that everyone wants to move to. While there has been an influx of Texan transplants in the past few years, many long-time Texas have left as people they consider undesirables have flocked in.
In 2021, Texas was the number-two most moved-to state—but it was also the number-two most moved-out-of state. Between the oppressive Texas summers, the meteoric cost of living increases, and the other pitfalls of a population boom, Boomers see plenty of reason to live elsewhere.
7. Massachusetts
I suppose you get called a Masshole enough times, and you simply snap. Or, perhaps it’s the high cost of real estate, relatively crowded living centers, and heavy-handed tax policies that led Massachusetts to lose about 111,000 residentsbetween April 2020 and July 2022.
While many in the Northeast have deep family ties, the family can only keep you around so long when the list of regional pull factors grows smaller and smaller.
8. Louisiana
The Bayou State has lost the third greatest percentage of residents of all states in 2024.
The gumbo, fun-loving culture, and Saints games are not enough to offset rising crime in the big cities, generational political corruption, limited professional opportunities, and vulnerability to natural disasters that come with life in much of Louisiana.
9. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is suffering a prolonged population loss, and Boomers are among those leaving.
Pennsylvania routinely ranks among the top five states hemorrhaging the most residents. From declining former manufacturing towns to high crime in cities like Philadelphia, there are several reasons for Pennsylvania’s population loss. While Pennsylvania is still the fifth most populous state, that could change if the downward trend continues.
10. West Virginia
Country roads, take me…away from home?
While it would be blasphemy to change the lyrics to John Denver’s infectious jam, the population trends in West Virginia suggest that the country roads are, in fact, being used to haul residents’ furniture and clothing to other states. The state’s population dropped by 3.2% between 2010 and 2020, and the trend has only continued. A dearth of jobs and societal decline fueled by the opioid epidemic has not helped retain long-time residents.
11. Hawaii
Despite being a tropical paradise that you’d think would appeal to Boomers and most others, Hawaii is among the states with the most marked population loss.
Despite having more Hawaiians born than passing away, the state lost 10,358 residents between 2020 and 2021 and is one of the states suffering from chronic population decline. The exorbitant cost of living and the decimation of the state’s middle class are largely to blame.
12. Oregon
One of the most naturally beautiful states in the country, Oregon’s loss of residents proves natural beauty is not all there is to life (or population retention).
At this stage of life, boomers are highly concerned about affordability. Oregon’s losing residents at the sixth-fastest ratein the country, which indicates the high cost of living, high taxes, and sluggish economic growth are too glaring for Boomers to ignore.
13. Mississippi
Few states are the butt of more jokes than Mississippi. While residents enjoy a low cost of living and plenty of land (should they desire it), there’s no denying the state’s ills.
Mississippi’s rural areas have been hit especially hard by relocation, as the ability to move to more economically thriving regions is too alluring for many to pass up. As cities like Jackson succumb to infrastructural crumble and crime, the situation in urban centers is not much better.
14. Rhode Island
One of the hardest states to locate on a map, Rhode Island is featured prominently in statistics about states losing the most population. While the state’s population resumed growth recently, it has been among the states shrinking in recent years, and it should not be surprising that Boomers aren’t exactly flocking to this tiny Northeastern state.
Exacerbating the problem is the shortage of children being born in Rhode Island. Not only are adult residents leaving, but not enough new residents are being born to make up for the loss.
15. New Mexico
What’s not to love about New Mexico, you ask?
Let’s start with the heat. The state’s location on the US-Mexico border also lends it an air of transience and chaos. Plus, have you watched Breaking Bad? It should be no wonder why New Mexico—despite plenty of culture and scenery—is primed for a serious long-term population decline.
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