And, they’re off!

Most moves involving New York see people leaving the state

Another year has begun, and another study has been released that shows New York is one of the top states in the nation that residents move out of.

United Van Lines’ 40th Annual National Movers Study tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns over the past year. The results showed that 63 percent of moves involving New York were residents moving out of the state, with only 37 percent of the moves being inbound.

The top reasons for moving out of the state include job (46.63 percent), retirement (24.3 percent) and family (21.28 percent). Of all the residents moving out of the state, 51.3 percent are 55 years old or older.

This is a problem New York has experienced for some time now. High taxes, especially, make it difficult for seniors to remain in their homes after their children have grown and moved out.

In their place are younger residents — 45.17 percent of people moving into New York last year were 44 years old and younger, according to the United Van Lines’ survey. And these people are moving into our state mainly for a job (57.42 percent) or for their family (20.6 percent).

The irony, of course, are main reasons why people move into this state — for its excellent schools, family life and opportunities — are main reasons why older people move out — because of the high taxes associated with those items.

It’s a catch 22 that New York may never truly solve. Good schools, good services and an abundance of opportunities cost money, and if they’re public programs, a majority of that money is going to come from the public.

The key is finding that balance between funding our schools and our amenities properly and not asking our residents to bear too big a burden to do so. How can it be fixed? By coming up with creative solutions to fund them or, more appropriately, by finding ways to cut costs without cutting the quality of the product.