Bay State’s Affordability Crisis Contributes to Bummer Summer

This June marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, the iconic summer blockbuster that famously warned us, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” But here in Massachusetts, the summer of 2025 feels more like: “You’re gonna need a bigger wallet.”

Across the Commonwealth, the jaws of high costs are closing in on residents, and Bay Staters are making tough choices just to stay afloat. While families nationwide are facing rising costs and financial pressures driven by federal policies and broader economic trends, Massachusetts residents are feeling these national headwinds more acutely because they’re layered on top of our already elevated cost of living. 

The bite of these compounded economic pressures is showing up clearly in how residents view their state’s future.

Summer Budget Sacrifices

The Boston Globe recently highlighted how eating out has become significantly more expensive, noting that while tourists are keeping restaurants afloat, many locals are simply priced out. This observation captures a broader reality facing Massachusetts residents as they head into summer 2025: for most Bay Staters, this season will require financial sacrifices.

According to MOA’s latest polling, an overwhelming 81 percent of Massachusetts residents plan to cut back on summer activities due to higher costs, with dining out bearing the brunt of these reductions.*

More than half of residents—55 percent—say they’ll be eating out less this summer.

The cutbacks extend far beyond restaurant meals. Nearly two in five residents (39 percent) are scaling back their out-of-state travel plans, while 35 percent are reducing their local shopping and 33 percent are cutting back on events and entertainment. 

Perhaps most telling, a quarter of residents are curtailing in-state vacations and travel—suggesting that even exploring their own state has become financially burdensome for many families.

The impact on families with children is particularly concerning. Among households with children, 28 percent are cutting back on summer camps—activities that provide not just recreation but often essential childcare for working parents.

Budget Cuts Hit Every Generation

The financial pressure is remarkably uniform across generations, with Gen Z (84 percent), Millennials (85 percent), and Gen X (85 percent) all reporting similar rates of planned cutbacks. Even Baby Boomers, typically more financially secure, aren’t immune, with 73 percent planning summer sacrifices.

This is more than belt-tightening. It’s a warning sign. The three younger generations of taxpayers—those Massachusetts desperately needs to retain—are experiencing crushing financial stress at identical rates. These are the workers building careers, starting families, and fueling economic growth. 

These sacrifices could have them reevaluating whether Massachusetts is worth the price. Many are deciding it’s not, contributing to the state’s growing outmigration crisis.

Sentiment Shift

Across Massachusetts, public sentiment about the state’s direction has taken a sharp turn downward among those who feel the pinch of rising costs most acutely. 

For households earning $50,000 or less, confidence that Massachusetts is heading in the right direction has plummeted to its lowest point—just 42 percent in May 2025, down from a peak of 64 percent in November 2024.

This sentiment collapse isn’t happening in a vacuum. The state budget has ballooned to a proposed $62 billion since FY2018—an increase far outpacing population or inflation. Yet many residents don’t believe their quality of life and the government services provided to them are improving.

Conclusion

The summer slowdown isn’t just about cutting back on beach trips and backyard barbecues. It’s a reflection of a broader affordability crisis that’s impacting how the public views our state’s competitiveness. One thing seems certain: The tax-and-spend path the state is currently going down is not solving our rising cost of living. And residents are feeling the pressure.

*Polling was conducted among a sample of 508 residents of Massachusetts who are 18 years of age and older and registered voters. This survey was live on May 15-20, 2025 and statistical significance testing in comparisons was performed at 95% confidence level.