Migration
Taxpayers changed addresses
Address updates are a combination of information received from taxpayers directly and information from the United States Postal Office (USPS) National Change of Address program. Some New York State resident taxpayers change their address to out-of-state locations each year. In 2020, there was a noticeable increase after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data for 2022 show fewer address changes than in the prior two years.
Taxpayer reported address changes by calendar year, based on NYS Tax Department contact and national change of address database from 2017 to 2022. 2021 saw the greatest number of address changes throughout the year, followed by 2020, 2022, 2019, 2018, and 2017. For exact numbers, see data table.
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For several years, resident taxpayers left the state at a 2% rate. Leaving accelerated to 3% in 2020 and 2021, then declined slightly in 2022.
Percentage of taxpayers leaving New York by calendar year, from 2017 to 2022. Consistent outflow from 2017 to 2018, with slight increase from 2018 to 2019, and then a large spike from 2019 to 2020. Upward trend continued, although less drastically, from 2020 to 2021. Large downward trend from 2021 to 2022. For exact numbers, see data table.
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Millionaires changed addresses
Tax filings combined with the change of address information discussed above allow identification and tracking of high-income taxpayers. This group is of particular interest due to the progressivity of the tax system. The number of resident income tax millionaires leaving the state peaked in 2020 and has slowly declined each subsequent year.
Millionaires reported address changes by calendar year, based on NYS Tax Department contact and national change of address database from 2017 to 2022. 2020 saw the greatest number of address changes throughout the year, followed by 2021, 2022, 2019, 2018, and 2017. In 2020, the number of changes increased gradually from March to June, more sharply from June to September, and then drastically from September through December. The number of changes also increased drastically from September to December in 2021. For exact numbers, see data table.
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The percent of millionaires leaving peaked above 6% in 2020 and is now approaching 3%. While still relatively high, it is quickly approaching the rate for all taxpayers.
Percentage of millionaires compared to all taxpayers leaving New York State by calendar year, from 2017 to 2022. For all taxpayers, there’s a consistent outflow from 2017 to 2018, with slight increase from 2018 to 2019, and then a large spike from 2019 to 2020. Upward trend continued, although less drastically, from 2020 to 2021. Large downward trend from 2021 to 2022. For millionaires, there is a consistent upward trend from 2017 to 2019, and then a large spike from 2019 to 2020, with almost 6% of millionaires leaving the state. A gradual decline in the percentage of millionaires leaving began in 2020 and continued through 2022. For exact numbers, see data table.
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More than 2,000 millionaires left the state in 2022. The number is small relative to the total number of millionaires and yet smaller relative to total number of taxpayers. However, the resulting loss of tax dollars can be significant due to the concentration of tax liability.
Millionaires leaving and staying in New York State by calendar year, from 2017 to 2022. Total number of millionaires increased gradually from 2017 through 2020, with slight dip in 2021, followed by a large increase from 2021 to 2022. The number of millionaires who left the state increased very little from 2017 to 2019, then increased more quickly from 2019 to 2020. A gradual decline in the number of millionaires leaving the state began in 2020 and continued to 2022. For exact numbers, see data table.
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Multi-millionaires moving
Address changes of millionaires are approaching pre-COVID-19 rates. The wealthiest millionaires (those with incomes greater than $25 million) had the largest percentage increase and the largest recovery.
Address changes of millionaires by calendar year from 2017 to 2022: 2017: 2020 saw the greatest number of address changes for millionaires worth $1 to $5 million and millionaires worth $5 to $25 million, followed by 2021 then 2022. 2021 saw the great number of address changes among millionaires who made more than $25 million, followed by 2022 then 2022. For exact numbers, see data table.
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IRS state-to-state migration of individuals 2020-2021
2020–2021 migration patterns broadly match the prior year data. Outflow remains concentrated in people between the ages of 26 and 44 and those with higher incomes.
| Federal adjusted gross income (AGI) | All ages | Under 26 | 26–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | 65 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All AGI | -264,617 | -16,342 | -78,152 | -78,269 | -38,097 | -28,728 | -25,029 |
| $1 under $10,000 | -9,824 | -1,399 | -3,065 | -1,722 | -978 | -999 | -1,661 |
| $10,000 under $25,000 | -32,746 | -5,696 | -11,014 | -7,632 | -3,634 | -2,376 | -2,394 |
| $25,000 under $50,000 | -55,800 | -6,181 | -19,369 | -15,705 | -6,957 | -4,127 | -3,461 |
| $50,000 under $75,000 | -36,728 | -1,779 | -12,605 | -10,725 | -4,826 | -3,794 | -2,999 |
| $75,000 under $100,000 | -27,292 | -605 | -8,478 | -8,084 | -3,963 | -3,160 | -3,002 |
| $100,000 under $200,000 | -55,712 | -620 | -14,128 | 16,818 | -9,123 | -7,944 | -7,079 |
| $200,000 or more | -46,515 | -62 | -9,493 | -17,583 | -8,616 | -6,328 | -4,433 |
New Yorkers head towards warmer, neighboring, and less expensive states
Florida and New Jersey are the most frequent destinations for New Yorkers relocating out of state, followed by Connecticut and Pennsylvania. North Carolina and Texas are also popular.
Map of New York State net outflow based on IRS state-to-state migration from 2020 to 2021. Alabama -918
Alaska -56
Arizona -2,240
Arkansas -450
California -6,031
Colorado -2,653
Connecticut -23,067
Delaware -2,289
District Of Columbia -226
Florida -58,552
Foreign -431
Georgia -10,985
Hawaii -331
Idaho -161
Illinois -1,047
Indiana -1,795
Iowa -203
Kansas -380
Kentucky -1,153
Louisiana -145
Maine -1,383
Maryland -3,636
Massachusetts -3,755
Michigan -2,232
Minnesota -678
Mississippi -306
Missouri -628
Montana -251
Nebraska -169
Nevada -1,154
New Hampshire -1,183
New Jersey -51,530
New Mexico -367
North Carolina -17,312
North Dakota -64
Ohio -3,556
Oklahoma -666
Oregon -370
Pennsylvania -20,055
Rhode Island -1,368
South Carolina -10,242
South Dakota -180
Tennessee -4,644
Texas -12,886
Utah -540
Vermont -1,001
Virginia -6,285
Washington -1,842
West Virginia -390
Wisconsin -270
Wyoming -160
Simultaneously, smaller numbers of people come into New York from similar areas.
Ten states of largest net outflow based on IRS state-to-state migration from 2020 to 2021. Greatest net inflow to New York State and net outflow from New York State is New Jersey (approximately 85,000 outflow, approximately 32,500 inflow), followed by Florida (approximately 84,000 outflow, approximately 25,000 inflow). California has the third greatest inflow to New York State (approximately 21,000), while Pennsylvania has the third greatest new outflow from New York State (approximately 37,500). For exact numbers, see data table.
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Historical inflow and outflow from New York State
New York has a long history of population turnover, inflows, and outflows. The net outflow continues to make new highs.
Timeseries of New York State migration inflow and outflow based on IRS state-to-state migration; the data begins with 1990-1991 and ends with 2020-2021. Fairly consistent inflow and outflow until a large spike in NYS outflow from 2016 to 2017. NYS outflow stabilized in the following years until another spike in 2019-2020 and a continued increase in 2020 to 2021. For exact numbers, see data table.
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