When it comes to the "American Dream" there are certain cities that stick out more than others. Places like New York, San Francisco and even Los Angeles all have been go-to places for people with big dreams to go to in order to find their happily ever after’s.
Unfortunately, those cities are also seeing residents fleeing from those cities. Many people are looking for lower living costs, more job opportunities, and less crime. Here is a list of the more popular United States cities that have their residents leaving in drones.
Unfortunately, those cities are also seeing residents fleeing from those cities. Many people are looking for lower living costs, more job opportunities, and less crime. Here is a list of the more popular United States cities that have their residents leaving in drones.
7,011 People Of Migrated From Fairbanks, Alaska
If you look at Fairbanks, Alaska, you'll see a quaint city. After all, you have an average unemployment rate, and the houses in the area are valued at around $226,900. Plus, you have all the nature you could want here. So why are so many people leaving this tranquil city?
According to Eddie Hunsinger, the reason for so many people leaving Alaska has nothing to do with the extreme weather or any other phenomenon. In fact, it has more to do with seeking better jobs and better opportunities that can be found in "Mainland America". It seems that Alaska has a very high cost of living that residents are getting tired of so they are leaving.
7,314 Migrations in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California isn't a town that is known for glamor or popularity. In fact, not a lot of people know about this small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The lack of attention may be the reason why 7,314 people have left this dying town.
The fact is Bakersfield, California isn't the best place to live for a number of reasons. First and foremost, many of the residents here live below the poverty line. Another issue is the air quality of the city. According to "The Guardian", Bakersfield happens to be one of the most polluted places in the country. This is due to the agriculture that the town is known for. Of course, it doesn't help that it also has road emissions, rail freight, and industry that all accumulate a cloud of smog that lingers over the city.
Less Glamorous Side of California
Many people see California as the golden state where sunshine is guaranteed. It is here where dreamers come to fulfill their destinies. However, Fresno, California isn't all that glamorous compared to so of the other cities. Fresno is situated between San Francisco and Los Angeles making it hot, dusty, and with its population suffering from substance abuse it's one of those places that people are fleeing.
You'll find that Fresno has nearly half a million residents. It is because there are so many people that the crime rate for the city is high. According to Neighborhood Scout, if you're a resident of Fresno, you have a 22% chance of becoming a victim of some crime. It's no wonder 7,571 people have fled the city.
A City Slowly Dying
Once Erie, Pennsylvania was the place to go for a guaranteed income. From 1865 until around 1957, Erie was home to the Griswold Manufacturing company that created the cast-iron skillets and cookware. It was also the fourth largest city in the state for the time. However, much has changed for this once powerhouse city. Today it's a sluggish and dwindling city whose residents are slowly leaving.
According to the city website, there have been 8,511 residents who have left the city between 2010 and 2017. Granted Erie, Pennsylvania does have a home value of $126,000 it doesn't help keep people in the city.
The Deep South
From 2010 until 2017 Mobile, Alabama noticed a 0.2% growth rate all thanks to the birth spike of 40,422. Mobile once was the third-largest city in Alabama, but it is slowly dropping behind Huntsville. According to the census, Mobile has had 8,517 residents leave within seven years.
So why are people leaving? It could be due to the poverty rate. Mobile's residents come in at 22.4% which happens to be slightly above the national average. However, due to most of the residents living in poverty, there are still jobs to be had. Still, people are looking for better opportunities elsewhere and are fleeing the city.
US Capital
When it comes to ambition, no other city brings more people in than Washington, DC. Despite many people living in this area with high hopes and wild dreams, the unemployment rate is 5.5% above the national average. But maybe the real reason people are leaving this area is that the average cost for a house is $564,400.
It's clear that with such a high price for living, those who aren't making bank can't really afford to stay in DC. That is why nearly 8,543 people have left Washington, DC in recent years. One of the more popular places for folks to move to has been Philadelphia, PA which is actually seeing an increase in residents.
The World's Playground
What once was a thriving metropolis has now dwindled down to nothing but a shadow of its former self. Atlantic City, New Jersey was once a bustling city, but from 2010 to 2017, the city lost nearly 8,550 residents.
Granted, Atlantic City rose to popularity during the 1930s until around 1960 when it started to decline. Atlantic City once was dubbed "the Las Vegas of East Coast" but now, although it still has its casinos and such the tax rate is driving people away. According to one report, New Jersey has the highest property tax in the country which is bad news for homeowners.
Rich in History
Sure, Fayetteville, North Carolina is a city steeped in history and has a plethora of hiking trails for the wilderness lover. It is a city that has everything you could want from beaches to rivers, and even golf courses. But it has also lost 8,741 folks within the past ten years.
Despite the number of people that have moved away, the city still saw a 5.6% growth. On the downside though, Fayetteville, North Carolina's unemployment rate is 6% with an 18% poverty rate. These numbers are not very pleasing considering both the poverty rate and the unemployment rates exceed the country's average.
The Hardest City to Live in
Right now, one of the most difficult cities one can live in is Farmington, New Mexico. This city has seen nearly 9,633 residents flee over the past ten years.
The unemployment rate for Farmington, New Mexico is 7.8%. According to the New Mexico Political Report, the drop in unemployment is due to the price of oil and gas. Since the price has been falling, so have the jobs that evolve around it. Plus, you wouldn't want to live in a city with a high crime rate. This is why many people have ditched this city for better living conditions
Well Below the Poverty Line
The future for Charleston, West Virginia is looking rather bleak. Here we have a city that is crumbling around itself. For the past decade, residents have been fleeing this city at an alarming rate. So far, there have been 9,772 people who have moved on to better things.
Perhaps the reason the city is falling has to do with the number of deaths compared to the number of births that have been recorded for the city. According to the report, 20,856 people died in the last decade whereas only 18,078 children were born. But even with the death rate overlapping the birth rate, Charleston, West Virginia has a 205% higher crime rate than any other city within the United States. No wonder people are leaving
Most Moved From State
You wouldn't think that there was any single part of the U.S. that would be dubbed "Most Moved from State" but that title goes to Wichita, Kansas. According to reports, there have been 10,335 residents who have packed up and moved
Why so many people up and getting out of Kansas? Well, it might have something to do with Wichita's crime rate. According to AP News, the crime rate for the city is way beyond the national average. In fact, it is doubled that of the national average. Now some may say the crime rate is so high because of the police force is severely underfunded. But you also got to think that with residents leaving, that would include police officers as well which is why the city is also understaffed. Either way, it's not a thriving place anyone thinks of moving to.
Issues With the Weather?
For some people, the weather has a huge impact on where they end up staying. Take Syracuse, New York for an example. This city has seen nearly 17,717 residents leave over the ten year period all due to snowstorms that blanket the area every year.
Granted, when it's not snowy and miserably cold, Syracuse, New York is a great place to be with houses on the market selling at $111,000. Considering Syracuse, New York is in the same neighborhood like New York City, it's a fairly cheap place to live. But it's that 10-feet of snow that comes each and every year that causes people to think twice about sticking around.
Cajun Living
Baton Rouge is a city unlike any other. It's known for its spicy good Cajun cuisine and diverse culture. But the numbers don't lie when it comes to home many folks are leaving this area. According to one source, 18,284 residents have packed up and gone to other places.
So, why are so many people leaving if the city seems so great? In two words, crime rates. Baton Rouge is neck and neck with Chicago as far as the crimes that are reported each year. Of course, there are also around 16,680 people unemployed in the area making it a difficult place to find a job.
Too Much Crime to Stick Around
It seems that the one thing people want in a neighborhood is safety. But for Toledo, Ohio which has seen 18,475 residents move out of the city in the past ten years, they don't seem to have it.
The city has been rated to have 51.3% crime rate per 1,000 residents. It would seem like it’s a gamble just stepping out the front door with odds like that. On the plus side though, the housing value comes in around $129,200, but it's not enough to keep people in the dwindling city. Plus, the weather has a lot of influence over where people live. For Toledo, Ohio the climate is a tempest that jumps from one extreme to another throughout the year and isn't ideal for most people.
Highest Unemployment Rate
Rockford, Illinois was once a thriving community, but now it is struggling to hold on to its residents. 18,789 have moved away from the city in the past ten years. But unlike other places losing people Rockford is losing them due to the industrial industry.
Rockford was one of those towns that sprang up in the 1800s. It was here that a lot of machine parts were manufactured. Since those companies have gone under, Rockford has followed suit. The unemployment rate is sky high and the once third largest city is shrinking every year.
The City That Never Sleeps
You'd think that a place like New York City would continue to grow. After all, it is here that dreams become a reality. Stars come off-Broadway all the time. However, it is also the city where dreams are broken. According to a report, there have been 21,503 residents that have up and left the Big Apple since 2010. But because New York is like a revolving door, for every 300,000 people that leave, 200,000 come to take a stab at their dreams.
So why do people leave the city in droves? One of the main reasons is the cost of living. Not only is rent obscene, but so is food. It gets harder and harder to build off your dreams here while making ends meet. That is why for many people who couldn't make it in the Big Apple, they migrate to Boston.
The In Between
El Paso, Texas may rank as being one of the safest places to be but still 21,829 people have left since 2010. There are several reasons why people are migrating out of the city. One such reason could be that the cost of a house is around $199,600. Another major reason why people are leaving is due to the location of the city. It is one of those places out in the middle of nowhere and hours from other major places of interest.
Another major reason why so many people have flocked to better places is the poverty rate for the city. According to a report done by DataUSA, El Paso, Texas unemployment is 7% higher than the national average. Plus, El Paso is on the border of the Mexican city Ciudad Juárez, which has the highest crime rate in the whole world.
Hardest Hit
With nearly 22,658 people migrating out of Flint, Michigan the city isn't what it once was. Why these people left? For the most part it could be because of the water scare that happened back in 2014. It was during this time that the entire city's water supply was exposed to lead and poisoned several people in the process.
Granted, Chicago isn't the safest place to be moving to, it is a lot less dangerous than Milwaukee. According to a report, this city is the sixth most dangerous in all of the United States. Here 41% fears of getting rob, while 31% fear they'll be assaulted. No wonder the people are leaving.
The Home of Rock N Roll
Once upon a time, people came to the city of Memphis, Tennessee with nothing but a guitar on their backs and a dream of being a major singer. After all, it was this city that introduced the world to Elvis Presley, Blues, and legendary B.B. King.
Unfortunately over the years, this city has become nothing but a distant memory of what it once was. In fact, in just a mere seven years, the city lost 30,000 people causing even the house market to tank. The value of homes these days is around $142,000. The interesting thing is, there is no real reason for people to be leaving, yet they are. Maybe they are simply chasing the American Dream to L.A. or Dallas instead.
The Poorest Big City
Over the last ten years, Cleveland, Ohio has seen nearly 33,120 people leave. Many believe that people are leaving due to the extremely high poverty rate. Of course this doesn't help when the city has been dubbed "The Poorest Big City."
So why have so many people left this city? According to a report, the people who left were looking for a better place to retire and to find work. It seems that the climb from 31.3% to 36.9% poverty rate since 2003 has drove people away.
The Gateway to the West
It seems that those living in St. Louis, Missouri are fleeing to the north. In fact, they are headed to Chicago in hopes of a better life.
It seems that the 39,894 residents are leaving not because of a decrease in crime, but because of the substance trafficking that takes place within the city.
Motor City
It's no surprise that Detroit, Michigan has been slowly dying for some time. A report that was done in the 1950s stated that Detroit once had nearly 1.8 million residents. Unfortunately, today those numbers have slipped down to 673,000 and keep on falling.
Many believe that the reason the drop in population is due to the decline of the automobile industry. Another reason for people leaving the city could be due to the high crime rates. Detroit happens to have the highest crime rates in the country.
City of Angels
The city of Los Angeles used to be the place for dreamers to come to chase their dreams. It was the city of glamour and glitz that drew millions of people to in hopes of making it onto the silver screen. Unfortunately though, 93,959 residents have moved out of the city in hopes of a better life.
It turns out the city of glitz is a pretty expensive place to live. The cost of a house averages around $720,000. But the cost of housing isn't the only reason why people are fleeing this city. It could also have to do with the 59,000 homeless people that live on the streets. Although the city has lost some of its population it's still growing by 4.1%.
The Windy City
The number one place that people are fleeing in droves is none other than Chicago. In the past 10 years, 296,320 residents have had enough of the crime rates, poverty levels and weather. In fact, many residents are heading to sunny Phoenix, Arizona where they don't have to worry about blizzards or other wintery advisories.
Perhaps another reason so many are leaving the Windy City is because the cost of living is too high for many people. An average house runs in the $230,000 range. Still, there are still plenty of people living in Chicago that don't seemed phased by the crime or poverty levels.
Americans Are Leaving These States Too
Missouri
With an outbound percentage of 51.1%, it is safe to say that many people are fleeing out of this slow-growing state. Over the past two decades, Missouri’s dwindling job growth has also affected its population growth. As compared to other states, Missouri also has lower high school and post-secondary education rates. While some are turned off by these infrastructural drawbacks, others have issues with its extreme weather conditions.
With an outbound percentage of 51.1%, it is safe to say that many people are fleeing out of this slow-growing state. Over the past two decades, Missouri’s dwindling job growth has also affected its population growth. As compared to other states, Missouri also has lower high school and post-secondary education rates. While some are turned off by these infrastructural drawbacks, others have issues with its extreme weather conditions.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania scored 51.2% outbound moves, making it one of the states Americans are quickly running away from. While many manufacturers are still employing 9.5% of their workforce from Pennsylvania, Penn State News has reported a loss of 80,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade. These problems of unemployment are pushing a lot of Pennsylvania residents to relocate.
Utah
Utah may be a reservoir of natural beauty but 51.4% of its residents are moving out. The reason? Growth opportunities in the region are scarce. While the tech industry may be thriving, it hasn’t brought prosperity to the residents. In fact, the tech boom has resulted in inflation, making matters worse.
Maryland
Maryland’s high outbound rate is quite surprising considering that it's surrounded by the sea and famous for its crabs. Apart from having a lack of promising jobs, Maryland is surprisingly expensive to live in with an above-average cost of housing. This added expense is pushing away retirees who want to live on a budget.
Minnesota
The Bread and Butter State of America is not bringing in enough revenue for its residents to thrive on. Minnesota’s growing unemployment rate is the main reason why it has a 51.9% outbound rate. Apart from the 3.3% of the population suffering from unemployment, there are also complaints about the terrible weather.
Mississippi
Mississippi’s residents are having an unemployment crisis that’s pushing them to abandon this musical state. It seems that the 52% outbound rate is definitely giving Mississippi the Blues. With a 5.7% unemployment rate, there’s no choice but to seek better opportunities.
Indiana
Indiana seems like the ideal place to call home but its 52.1% outbound rate suggests otherwise. While unemployment may be lower than in other states, it’s still a major problem. While the cost of living is low, so is the pay. Some have suggested that Indiana is one of the worst states for retirement.
Kentucky
Kentucky takes a beating due to its $7.25 per hour minimum wage that hasn’t improved much over the years. Many Kentucky residents have already sought jobs outside the area to make ends meet. However, many people are still moving out making up a 52.4% outbound rate.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin has a 52.6% outbound rate and not all of it is because of unemployment and lifestyle changes. Many Wisconsin residents are simply tired of the freezing temperatures and are seeking out warmer areas to call home.
Virginia
Since the 1920s, Virginia hasn’t been coping too well when it comes to its plummeting population. The 52.9% outbound rate isn’t helping with the issue. From terrible traffic conditions and flooding to expensive housing and unemployment, there are plenty of reasons why thousands of people leave Virginia each year.
Montana
Montana is no doubt a dream come true for those seeking some peace and quiet. However, the novelty soon wears off, making people realize they’re living in the middle of nowhere. The 53.9% outbound rate is prompted by this sense of isolation among other reasons such as unemployment and retirement.
Louisiana
Tourists pour into Louisiana for the colorful Mardi Gras and yummy Cajun cuisine but most of them aren’t staying behind. One in five people in the state live below the poverty line and unemployment rates are above-average. With a 54.7% outbound rate, Louisiana is quickly losing fans.
Massachusetts
From Harvard to Boston Tea Party, Massachusetts has a lot going on for it. Despite all these qualities, its 54.8% outbound rate suggests that its popularity is declining. The main reason is the unbearably high cost of living that’s quickly emptying residents’ pockets. According to citizens, housing is scarce, making it more expensive.
Iowa
If you’re a resident of Iowa, you better prepare yourself for a stagnating career. 55% outbound rates suggest that Iowa is on a downward spiral. Citizens may find Iowa’s golden sunkissed cornfields a sight to behold but the lack of growth opportunities is making them flee.
North Dakota
North Dakota showcased a 55.2% outbound rate that is mostly prompted by a lack of interesting job opportunities. Others suggest that moving into this desolate state can come as a culture shock to most people. Especially for ones used to a more fast-paced way of life, North Dakota just may bore you into moving out.
California
It may be surprising to see the land of Hollywood and Silicon Valley falling out of favor, but the 56.9% outbound rate doesn’t look good for California. The Golden State may have an irresistible appeal but this glamourous life comes at a big price. The exorbitant housing prices make California the third most expensive place to live in the United States.
Michigan
Michigan is plagued by a mixture of high unemployment rates and low-wage jobs. Most jobs in Michigan pay less than $20 per hour and residents are barely getting by. This has been a blow to the culture and development sector too, making Michigan quite backward.
