FACT CHECK: Boston Globe Poll Finds High Costs Are Driving Residents Out
A recent Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll captured what many Massachusetts residents already know all too well – the rising cost of living is making it harder to live here. While there are many positive aspects of calling Massachusetts home, financial concerns about rising inflation, taxes, energy costs, and more are becoming harder to ignore.
In fact, many residents are thinking about moving out. This latest poll found that 1 in 3 respondents have considered leaving the state, citing high cost of living, health care, and taxes among their top concerns.
The Globe’s findings reflect what MOA’s research and polling has previously confirmed: Massachusetts is losing its competitive edge.
FACT: High Cost of Living is Hurting Residents.
The Boston Globe poll found inflation and high cost of living were the most-cited concern among surveyed voters. One resident told the Globe that prices have risen over the course of his life, but “it seems excessive in the last few years.”
He’s not alone. Earlier this year, an MOA poll found reducing the state’s high cost of living was voters’ most important priority for the state government to address in 2025.
According to SmartAsset’s 2025 analysis of housing costs, food prices, transportation costs, and income taxes, Massachusetts was the state with the highest cost of living for families in the nation, and second-highest for single adults. Forbes similarly ranked Massachusetts as the second-highest expensive state to live in last year.
FACT: High Taxes Contribute to a Rising Cost of Living.
Bay State taxes were among the top ranking concerns among the Globe’s surveyed voters. One resident queried “Why do you think we call it ‘Taxachusetts’? It’s costing me a fortune to live.”
The same concern resonated with a majority of Mass. voters in a recent MOA survey, which found a whopping 82% believe their taxes are too high. For former residents that have since moved to other states, MOA found over 70% of those surveyed said tax policy was the main reason for moving.
It’s not hard to see why residents feel this way. Census Bureau data on state tax collections shows Massachusetts has one of the highest personal income tax burdens per capita in the country. The Tax Foundation ranks Massachusetts among the worst in the nation for burdensome income, property, and unemployment insurance taxes.
FACT: High Taxes and Cost of Living Drive People Out of the Commonwealth.
The Boston Globe poll confirms what many, including MOA, have been warning about for years: The state’s high costs and tax environment is making people want to leave.
In fact, the latest-available Internal Revenue Service data from 2022 shows the state experienced a net outmigration of over 45,000 taxpayers – tens of thousands more people left the state than moved in.
Early estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) on state-to-state migration confirm that this trend is continuing. This data shows that Massachusetts experienced a net outmigration of as much as 39,500 residents in 2023.
According to that survey, many of the top states Mass. residents are moving to are key competitor states:
- Florida 13.0%
- New York 11.4%
- New Hampshire 8.9%
- Texas 5.5%
- North Carolina 4.8%
An earlier MOA survey of former Massachusetts residents who have moved elsewhere confirms high costs are driving their relocation. A majority responded that lower cost of living, lower taxes, and better quality of life were key factors that attracted them to their new states. Nearly 84% said their quality of life was better living in competitor states of Florida and New Hampshire than it was here.
This doesn’t just affect those who leave – it costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as our tax base relocates, meaning those who stay are stuck with the remaining high tax burden.
Conclusion
The truth about living in Massachusetts today is undeniable. While beautiful scenery, nation-leading healthcare, and first-class education are among the benefits, more and more people are being forced to weigh the high costs of living and raising a family here.
Residents are clamoring for relief. MOA’s work on these issues inspired two ballot initiatives to reduce the state’s tax burden and return more of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars back to their pockets. The first would lower the personal income tax rate from 5% to 4%, and the second would revise the state’s existing revenue cap to trigger more frequent refunds of excess tax collections. These ideas receive broad support across income brackets and party lines.
The Boston Globe puts a fine point on it: if Massachusetts fails to act, we could see up to a third of residents on their way out. It’s time for policymakers to seriously consider ways to make Massachusetts a more financially feasible place to live.
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