Americans Move Between States for Multiple Reasons Including Politics

U.S. Census Bureau data for 2024 show almost exactly as many people moved from Texas to Washington as moved in the opposite direction. A Stateline analysis covering mid-2020 to mid-2023 found Republican counties gained 3.7 million residents while Democratic counties lost the same number.

Jessa Davis sold her house in Odessa, Texas, and moved to Seattle after coming out as a trans woman. She said she experienced threats and viewed Texas as hostile, and she now serves as co-chair of a Seattle commission on LGBTQ issues. Kirby Wilbur, a former Washington state Republican chair, left Seattle for McKinney, Texas, after the 2020 protests.

He cited lower home prices, lower crime, and a desire to live among people who share his political views.

Multiple factors in relocation decisions Paul Chabot, who runs the Conservative Move realty service, said clients seek lower taxes, stronger schools, and neighborhoods where they feel they can discuss politics openly. Bob McCranie, who operates Flee Red States, said some clients move because they do not feel safe in their current state.

Stefanie Chiappetta moved from Middleborough, Massachusetts, to Conway, South Carolina, listing conservative politics, lower property taxes, and warmer weather as her top three reasons. She had paid nearly $7,000 annually in Massachusetts property taxes.

Patterns at state and local levels A 2022 study found partisans are clustered within states at levels not seen since the Civil War. Penn State political science professor Bruce Desmarais said in a 2019 study that people often move from one left-leaning city to another or from one right-leaning area to another.