We’ve covered any number of stories about New York over the past couple of years that should provide a reason for sensible people to flee the state as fast as their feet can carry them. Well, according to the data released by the Census Bureau yesterday, I wasn’t the only one taking notice. The Empire State experienced the largest net population loss in America in 2019, more than offsetting new births (which are also declining) and immigration of all types. Considering the way the state is being run these days, they should probably get used to this as being the new normal. (CBS New York)

As the old song goes, “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

Unfortunately for New York, more people are choosing to leave the Big Apple and go “anywhere” but here.

According to U.S. Census data released Monday, people are leaving New York at a faster rate than nearly any other state in the nation.

For the fourth straight year, the state’s population decreased as the number of residents choosing to go elsewhere outpaced the number of births, new residents moving in, and people immigrating to the Empire State.

The CBS article specifically avoids any speculation as to what’s driving the exodus, but this phenomenon can probably be attributed to three primary factors. The first is taxes. They keep going up with people not being able to notice any marked improvement in services and conditions. This effect was keenly felt among the most wealthy. Millionaires (and billionaires) have been packing their bags and leaving, with someone named Donald Trump being among the most recent.

That factor became a larger concern after the 2017 tax cuts which capped the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. This didn’t affect lower-income and middle-class workers noticeably, but it did produce a significant loss for those earning one million dollars or more. This obviously represents a much smaller percentage of the total emigration, but they are also people who pack a lot of punch in terms of what they pour into the economy.

The second factor is the burdensome regulatory environment put in place by the Democrats who control the entire state government and that of New York City. This produces a variety of very real ills experienced by New Yorkers. The Governor’s moratorium on fracking prevented upstate landowners from leasing their property for natural gas drilling. They had to sit and watch as their neighbors to the south in Pennsylvania cleaned up on drilling leases.

At the same time, jobs were evaporating, particularly in New York City, after the minimum wage hikes went through. On top of that, an endless parade of gun control laws continued to erode the rights of lawful gun owners. Anything that can be regulated will be regulated.

And finally, there are the woke laws such as the new criminal justice reform bill we’ve discussed here previously. Criminals are coddled and dumped back on the streets while the police are treated with disrespect and scorn by their own governmental leaders. People feel less safe. Combined with the other factors I listed, this makes for a toxic combination that has people looking toward the exits.

New York will lose yet another congressional seat after the 2020 census, with the possibility of two seats not being out of the question. Meanwhile, states with lower taxes and more sensible laws and regulations like Florida and Texas are gaining population at a steady clip and will gain seats. And New York has nobody to blame but the voters who keep electing the same gangs of Democrats who have brought this situation down on their heads.