As Boston’s woke Mayor Michelle Wu hands “queer and trans” migrants $500 vouchers for massages and yoga, young residents are fleeing the Greater Boston region and the state of Massachusetts, according to a recent survey by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce (GBCC), which found more than 25% of residents between the ages of 20 and 30 said they “are likely to leave” the area in the next five years.
Apparently, Wu’s LGBTQ+ “wellness allowances” aren’t enough of a reason for young people to stay in the city bogged down by a nearly $50 million deficit – but what’s driving the “Mass.” exodus?
Affordability Strikes Boston
The GBCC worked with HIT Strategies to conduct the 2026 Young Residents Survey in an effort to “better understand how the region’s employers and policymakers can retain 20-30-year-old residents living and working in Greater Boston” – but what the non-profit discovered was “distressing.”
Of the more than 25% who are likely to leave Greater Boston (which includes Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts and Rockingham and Strafford counties in New Hampshire) over the next several years, roughly 50% said they intend to remain in Massachusetts, while the other half plan to leave the state. And among those leaving the Bay State, nearly half are “looking to move to the Southeast and Southwest.”
Young residents in Greater Boston said they are considering a variety of factors when deciding to stay or leave, including job availability, rent costs, safety, and the likelihood of buying a home. “[T]he region’s affordability continues to be a concern as young residents struggle to seize opportunities that outweigh challenges, like housing and career growth,” the GBCC noted, adding that more affordable states are attracting young residents who want to buy or rent a home without breaking the bank, and many are being “lured to states in the Southeast and Southwest.”
Winning States, Losing States
According to the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, Massachusetts ranks alongside California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey as one of the states with the highest net domestic out-migration in 2025. The states attracting new residents, on the other hand, included South Carolina, Idaho, North Carolina, Delaware, and Tennessee.
South Carolina, the fastest-growing state in 2025, saw its population jump 1.5%. More than 41,000 people moved to the Palmetto State, which amounts to an increase of 79.9 residents per 10,000 people. HireAHelper, a moving company, tracked 2025 migration trends by state and found that South Carolina’s draw comes down to affordability and the job market.
“The state has quietly become one of the strongest job markets in the Southeast, thanks to sustained growth in logistics, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing,” the company’s 2026 moving migration report stated. “As employers continue to expand operations across the state, particularly along major interstate corridors and coastal metros, workers follow.”
While South Carolina’s cost of living falls near the middle compared to the rest of the nation, the state’s work opportunities were largely unmatched last year, suggesting that “job growth, rather than low prices alone, played a decisive role in attracting new residents, particularly in industries experiencing sustained expansion.”
If Greater Boston and Massachusetts have any hope of competing with more affordable states, perhaps Mayor Wu should focus less on subsidized “wellness” perks for migrants and more on young residents struggling to make ends meet.
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