Saturday, November 8, 2025
New York state is hemorrhaging residents at an alarming rate. Over the past four years, the Empire State has led the nation in “outmigration,” with hundreds of thousands of people leaving for states with lower taxes and costs of living, and safer communities.
This mass exodus is the direct result of policies that have prioritized government expansion over economic stability and public safety. If current trends continue, New York will lose three congressional seats after the 2030 election, further diminishing our national influence and economic standing.
One of the primary drivers of this outmigration is New York’s crushing tax burden. The state imposes some of the highest personal income, property and business taxes in the nation. Albany’s approach to fiscal policy has driven both middle-class families and businesses to seek refuge in states like Florida, Texas and the Carolinas, where taxes are significantly lower. As they flee, remaining residents must shoulder an increasingly heavy financial load, creating a vicious cycle that, if left unchecked, will further erode the state’s fiscal stability.
Compounding this crisis are criminal justice policies that have weakened public safety. Bail reform has created a revolving door for criminals, allowing repeat offenders back onto the streets within hours of their arrests. The consequences have been devastating: rising crime, and neighborhoods that feel less safe than they did a decade ago. Even in traditionally secure suburban areas, residents are feeling the effects of these failed policies, pushing many to relocate to states where crime is taken seriously.
Meanwhile, the cost of living has spiraled out of control. Sky-high housing costs, energy prices inflated by green-energy mandates, and inflation-driven expenses are making it increasingly difficult for working- and middle-class families to get by. The dream of homeownership is slipping away for young families, while retirees on fixed incomes struggle to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.
Adding to this financial burden is the ongoing migrant crisis. New York has spent billions of taxpayer dollars on housing, health care and other services for migrants, placing an unsustainable strain on local resources. These costs are shouldered by taxpayers. The funds allocated to support the influx of migrants could instead be used to reduce taxes or reinvest in critical services such as public schools, police departments and infrastructure improvements.
As schools become overcrowded and police departments face budget constraints, communities are left struggling to maintain the quality of public services. This unsustainable situation only further incentivizes families and businesses to seek stability elsewhere, compounding the outmigration problem.
In the Town of Oyster Bay, we have taken a proactive approach to fiscal responsibility and public safety. We cut property taxes in 2018 and have frozen them every year since, despite inflation driving up the cost of doing business. We are also adding 500 new housing opportunities in downtown Hicksville to support sustainable growth.
Public safety remains a priority, as we work closely with the Nassau County Police Department, oppose sanctuary-city laws, and continue to demand the repeal of cashless bail laws. Towns across Long Island have joined us in these initiatives, but meaningful change must come from the state government to truly reverse New York’s downward trajectory.
The state’s outmigration crisis is no mystery — it is the predictable result of policies that prioritize high taxation, unsustainable spending, and lenient criminal justice approaches over the needs of working families. To reverse this trend, Albany leaders must take bold action, reducing taxes to make the state more competitive, restoring law and order by rolling back ineffective criminal justice policies, and implementing serious measures to lower the cost of living. Taxpayer resources must also be prioritized for legal citizens and essential services.
If state leaders fail to act, outmigration will only accelerate, and New York will continue to be the nation’s leading exporter of its most valuable resource — its own people.
Joseph Saladino is supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay.
