04/08/2026
We lucked put again
People keep saying the middle class is dying.
It's not dying. It's voting with a moving truck.
California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts. The five states losing the most residents in 2025 share a few things in common. High income taxes. High property taxes. High cost of living.
And decades of policy that made it increasingly expensive to own a home, run a business, or keep what you earn.
Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina. The five states gaining the most residents share a different set of things in common. No state income tax in most cases. Lower cost of living. Growing job markets.
And enough affordability left that a middle class family can actually build something.
This isn't a political statement. It's a financial one.
People move where the math works. And right now the math works a lot better in Nashville than it does in Newark.
I chose Tennessee years ago and I'll tell you firsthand what the numbers look like on the other side of that decision. No state income tax. Lower property taxes. A housing market that was still affordable when I got here.
And a business environment that didn't feel like it was actively working against me.
The middle class isn't disappearing. It's just done waiting for expensive states to figure it out.