13 Reasons Why Americans Don’t Like New York Anymore — Do You Agree With Them?
I’ve lived in New York long enough to know exactly what people mean when they say “fuggedaboutit.”
I also know why so many people who once loved this state are packing up their stuff and heading south or west.
New York has a magic to it that’s real. But there’s a whole list of things that make people finally say “enough already.” Here’s what’s actually driving people out.
1. The Cost of Living Will Make Your Jaw Drop
New York City is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive cities on the planet.
A one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan will run you well more than $3,000 a month on average. And that’s not even a nice one.
Even outside the city, in places like Westchester or Long Island, the cost of just existing feels like a second job.
2. The State Income Tax Is a Real Gut Punch
New York has one of the highest state income tax rates in the country, topping out at nearly 11%.
Add New York City’s own local income tax on top of that, and city residents are getting hit from multiple directions at once.
When people in Florida are paying zero state income tax, it doesn’t take long to do the math and start Googling moving companies.
3. The Weather Is Nine Months of Suffering
New Yorkers are tough, no question. But the winters are brutal, long, and relentless.
Gray skies from November through March, slush that ruins your shoes, and wind tunnels between skyscrapers that feel genuinely personal — it wears on people.
After enough winters, a lot of folks start looking at the Sunbelt and thinking, “Why am I doing this to myself?”
4. The Subway Is a Total Mess
Operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the New York City subway is legendary, and not always in a good way.
Delays, breakdowns, platforms that smell like they haven’t been cleaned since the Lindsay administration — it’s a daily grind for millions of commuters.
The MTA has faced billions in deferred maintenance costs, and riders feel every single dollar of that neglect every time a train goes out of service at rush hour.
5. Crime Spiked and People Noticed
New York City made enormous strides on public safety through the 1990s and 2000s. But recent years saw a real uptick in crime that rattled residents.
Subway pushings, smash-and-grabs, and a general sense of unease in spaces that used to feel safe changed how a lot of people feel about the city.
When you’re scared to stand near the platform edge, it messes with your head in ways that are hard to shake.
6. The Schools Are Overcrowded and Underfunded in Many Areas
New York State spends more per pupil than almost any other state in the country. The outcomes, though, tell a more complicated story.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, New York students consistently score below the national average in reading and math.
The money is there, but for many families outside of wealthy districts, the public school experience feels like a lottery you didn’t sign up for.
7. Small Businesses Are Getting Crushed
New York City’s regulatory environment is notoriously tough on small business owners.
Between sky-high commercial rent, licensing requirements, and some of the highest minimum wages in the country, the margins are razor thin.
Walk through any neighborhood that was buzzing five years ago and count the empty storefronts. The math just doesn’t work for a lot of owners anymore.
8. The Political One-Note Vibe Gets Old
New York is about as politically homogeneous as it gets, especially in the city.
If you’re not fully on board with the prevailing political culture, good luck having a candid conversation at a dinner party in Brooklyn.
Plenty of people who lean independent or hold even mildly different views quietly decide to move somewhere they don’t feel like the odd one out at every social gathering.
9. The Population Is Already Voting With Their Feet
This isn’t speculation — New York has been losing residents at a significant clip for years.
The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed that New York lost more people to domestic out-migration than any other state in recent years.
When that many people are heading for the exits, it’s worth asking what they’re running from.
10. Congestion Pricing Added Another Financial Layer
New York City became the first U.S. city to implement congestion pricing, charging drivers to enter lower Manhattan.
For outer borough residents who rely on their cars to get to work, it felt like one more toll on an already expensive life.
The idea has merit for traffic and transit funding, but for working-class New Yorkers, the timing and the price stung.
11. The Housing Shortage Is a Policy Failure Years in the Making
New York desperately needs more housing and has struggled to build it fast enough for decades.
Zoning laws, community opposition, and bureaucratic red tape have made it incredibly hard to add new units even as the population grew.
Researchers at NYU’s Furman Center have documented the affordability crisis in detail, and the picture is not pretty for renters or first-time buyers.
12. The “New York Attitude” Wears Thin Outside the City
New Yorkers have a reputation, and honestly, a lot of it is earned.
The brusqueness, the “I don’t have time for this” energy, the unspoken hierarchy of who’s a real New Yorker — it can feel like a lot if you didn’t grow up in it.
People who move to the South or Midwest often talk about how different it feels when a stranger smiles at them for no reason. That cultural whiplash is real.
13. The Dream of “Making It” Feels Harder to Reach
There’s always been a romance to the idea of moving to New York and making something of yourself.
That story is getting harder to tell when entry-level salaries haven’t kept pace with rents that double every few years.
Economic mobility research shows that where you start in New York has a bigger impact on where you end up than in most other states.
The city of hustle is starting to feel more like a city of inheritance.