One in three New York residents says they plan to leave the Empire State within five years — and the top reason is simple: it’s too expensive.
A new Marist poll finds a staggering 86% of respondents believe New York is no longer affordable for the average family — up from 82% in 2025.
Forty percent of would-be leavers cited the cost of living as their primary reason for heading elsewhere. Another 21% pointed to declining quality of life. Fifteen percent blamed taxes. Ten percent said politics. And 7% are simply done with the weather.
More than half of New Yorkers — 51% — said quality of life is getting worse.
The findings land as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushes a controversial 9.5% property tax hike. The proposal has drawn backlash from Black homeowners and warnings from experts that rents could rise for already struggling tenants.
Mamdani has described the increase as a “last resort” to fund his $127 billion budget if Albany and Gov. Kathy Hochul decline to approve a separate income tax hike on residents earning $1 million or more.
While Hochul’s approval rating sits at 46% — her highest since October 2021 — 56% of registered voters still say Albany is steering the state in the wrong direction.
Despite the sour mood, Hochul maintains a 17-point lead over Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, 50% to 33%, months before November’s gubernatorial election.
For now, the numbers tell a stark story: many New Yorkers are weighing their options.
And a significant share are looking for the exit.
More over at The New York Post:
Staggering one-third of NYers want to flee the state, citing cost of living and quality of life: survey https://t.co/2nEdv5wnJN pic.twitter.com/UrgBLvmgWV
— New York Post (@nypost) February 26, 2026
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