Below are the 10 states that lost the most population in 2019. This is according to writer Andrew Soergel reporting for the US News website. The added comments are mine. Soergel says that New York lost the most with 76,790 people moving out of the state. Illinois, which used to be our neighbor and developed big tax problems, was 2nd with a loss of 51,250.
Ranked by the percentage of the population that was lost, New Jersey headed the list of the 10 losing states with about 4,000 people leaving it. This did not surprise me because our son’s business moved to New Jersey not too long ago, and several of the employees could not afford to live in the New York area where it relocated. They had to buy houses in the Philadelphia area and commute to work. This was unsustainable.
#9 of the 10 states that lost population by percentage was beautiful Vermont, but only 369 Vermonters left. However, its biggest city Burlington increased in population during this period. There’s a lot to see and do in this town on Lake Champlain. I still recall the tour of Ben & Jerry’s original ice cream factory in Vermont and loved the name of one of its new flavors, Moo-phoria.
Another state that lost population was Mississippi. Our favorite attraction in this state is the Natchez Trace Parkway. Ruth & I have sent many people to drive this road of almost endless variety.
Connecticut lost more than 6,000 residents in 2019. I remember when it was our most affluent state. It may still be but with fewer people. Our favorite attraction in this original colony is the remarkable Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, our country’s oldest free public museum.
Louisiana lost population and is the state we have most recently visited. The last time we flew my seat mate had just gotten out of prison and was heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I often think about her and wonder how she’s doing.
The next state on the US News list is Hawaii. The cost of living there remains high, and its pandemic quarantining could not have helped tourism.
For New York to have lost residents is no surprise. A lot of people cannot afford to live there anymore. We certainly enjoyed our trip to upstate New York during 2019, especially the attractions in Rochester and the new National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
When we lived in Missouri, Ruth and I felt that people who lived in Illinois were better off financially, but situations change. My relatives in Valmeyer kept getting flooded out, so the entire town moved to the top of a hill. Our favorite destinations in Illinois are still Chicago and Champaign-Urbana.
The last 2 people losers on the list were Alaska and West Virginia. Alaska is losing population! More than 3,500 Alaskans moved out-of-state, and West Virginia was abandoned by more than 12,000. The latter has lost citizens for several years in a row, but West Virginia may soon have our newest National Park to at least help tourism. Alaska already has 8 National Parks, but several are remote and little visited.
Hank
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