In the wake of Austin, Texas, being ranked fifth on a list of cities with the "highest number of move-outs" by removal company PODS, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced his concerns.
This ranking is a significant shift for Austin, which did not feature in the top 20 in 2023.
Governor Abbott, a Republican, expressed his views on the social media platform X, stating, "Austin's leftist policies are beginning to take a tollcausing residents to leave. They are experiencing what San Francisco has experienced. If they don't change, it won't end well. There are other cities in Texas that provide attractive options."
The current mayor of Austin is Democrat Kirk Watson, who was re-elected for a second term in December 2022. Watson previously held the position from 1997 to 2001. It is worth noting that Republicans typically face challenges in major cities, with the party only providing the mayor for one of the ten largest cities in the United StatesEric Johnson of Dallas, as reported by Ballotpedia.
In his X post, Governor Abbott also referenced a news article by local network KXAN, which reported that Austin had become one of the "top move-out cities" in America. This claim was substantiated by an analysis by PODS, which found Austin to be the fifth-highest ranked city in the country for move-outs, trailing Los Angeles, the San Francisco area, the Miami area, and Long Island.
PODS suggested that Austin's boom period has come to an end, stating, "Austin, TX, is new to the ranks this year. During the pandemic, this Texan darling saw unprecedented growth, as tech companies and residents flocked to the booming city. When the city didn't even scratch the top 20 of most moved-to cities last year, we had a feeling it might point to the end of this era."
The removal company also referenced U.S. Census Bureau data, which showed that Travis County, encompassing Austin, recorded negative net migration for the first time in two decades between July 2022 and July 2023. This was attributed in part to "declining affordability, being priced out of housing, and a lack of space for new builds."
Both Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Governor Greg Abbott were contacted for comment via an online inquiry form and email respectively, outside of usual office hours on Friday.
According to the latest PODS ranking, the cities "with the highest number of move-ins" were Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Wilmington in North Carolina, Houston in Texas, Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Charlotte in North Carolina.
PODS explained the trend toward the Carolinas, saying, "Both states offer beautiful beaches, forestlands, mountains, and vibrant metro cities. The cost of living comes in just below the national average and the quality of life is good. Four-season weather, southern charm, history, and dynamic arts, culture, food, and wine scenes are big draws, too. Residents can also look forward to a growing economy (particularly in North Carolina) and lower tax rates than many other U.S. states."
In the year leading up to July 2022, several Democratic states saw their populations decrease, with California shrinking by 0.3 percent, New York by 0.9 percent, Illinois by 0.8 percent, and Oregon by 0.4 percent.
Sam Karnick, a senior fellow at The Heartland Institute, a conservative and libertarian 501 nonprofit public policy think tank, cited crime as a key factor. He stated, "Populations in Democrat-controlled states are falling because of an exodus from big cities. The reverse is happening in Republican-controlled states. Although taxes are an important factor, there was not nearly as much blue-to-red state movement before 2020. The deciding element appears to be the rapid rise of violent crime in Democrat-controlled cities across the nation."
According to U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population estimates, over the past year, the population of New York state declined more than any other, losing 101,984 residents, followed by California, which declined by 75,423 residents.
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