Americans Leaving Democrat-Run States For Republican-Run States Over Bad Policies, Pandemic

A United Van Lines mover at work

Americans are leaving Democrat-run states for Republican-run states over bad policies, particularly related to the pandemic, according to a report.

The Blaze said that according to a newly published study released by United Van Lines, "Americans are leaving states and cities run by Democrats for Republican-dominant ones--and that the trend may have been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic."

According to The Blaze, the annual study showed that "Americans continued the trend of ditching northeastern and West Coast liberal states for southeastern and Sun Belt states" in 2020.

The Blaze cited from the study, which is the 44th the United Van Lines had, that the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and North Carolina registered the highest inbound rates.

"The trend is patently obvious: Nearly all the states with the highest inbound rates are predominantly run by Republicans and consistently vote Republican," The Blaze said.

Meanwhile, The Blaze identified from the study that the predominantly-run Democrat states of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, and Ohio recorded the highest outbound rates.

U.S. cities exhibited the same trends making it not isolated to states only, The Blaze revealed.

In the study's Top 25 and Bottom 25 Cities Table, Florida's Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa-St Pete-Clearwater cities registered 43% together with North Carolina's Greensboro-Winston Salem as the top four for outbound. The top four inbound were North Carolina's Wilmington (79%), Florida's Sarasota-Bradenton (78%), Idaho's Boise (75%), and Alabama's Huntsville (70%).

"As more people experience job and lifestyle changes amid the pandemic like remote working, we're seeing they have more flexibility in where they can live - many choosing to move from urban to more rural areas," The Blaze quoted United Van Lines Director of Corporate Communications Eily Cummings in saying regarding their study.

"We're seeing that the COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt accelerated broader moving trends, including retirement driving top inbound regions as the Baby Boomer generation continues to reach that next phase of life," explained Economist and University of California Professor Michael Stoll in a comment on the study.

However, The Daily Wire countered that the trend "mostly has to do with bad Democratic policies," particularly the tax burden, since it "has been ongoing for a while" notwithstanding "pandemic may have accelerated the exodus from Democratic states and cities."

Entitled "The Annual 2020 United Van Lines National Movers Study", the annual study's press kit available on its website contains three tables: the 2020 United Van Lines National Migration Study-By State, the 2020 United Van Lines National Migration Study-Top 25 and Bottom 25 Cities, and the United Van Lines Top Reasons For Moving 2020.

As per the study, there are six reasons for moving in 2020. These are for Health/Personal Reason, to be Closer To Family, due to a New Job, the need for a Lifestyle Change, or due to the Cost Of Living.

Wyoming ranked 1 for those with Health/Personal Reason and need for Lifestyle change, registering 17.65% and 29.41%, respectively. While Minnesota ranked 1 at 41.40% for those who need to be Closer To Family, Nebraska ranked 1 at 71.88% for those having a New Job, and Idaho ranked 1 at 10.97% for those moving out because of Cost Of Living.