MASS Exodus: Thousands FLEEING State!

Two people carrying cardboard boxes indoors.

When tens of thousands of families pack up their lives and fortunes for distant states, billboard wars ignite—and the message is clear: the wealth, business, and spirit of New York and New Jersey are following the moving trucks south.

Story Snapshot

Data-driven billboards in NY and NJ spotlight a surge in residents fleeing to red states
Advocacy group Unleash Prosperity blames high taxes, crime, and poor schools for the exodus
IRS migration data and interactive maps underscore economic and ideological shifts
Campaign pressures policymakers as red states reap financial and political rewards

Billboard Campaign Unleashes a Public Reckoning

October 23, 2025 marked more than a new advertising blitz—it was the day New Yorkers and New Jerseyans found their daily commutes shadowed by billboards warning, “Gone to Florida and Texas.” The advocacy group Unleash Prosperity, led by economist Steve Moore, orchestrated this campaign to force a public conversation about the consequences of high taxes, rising crime, and faltering schools. Their message: the cost of ignoring outmigration is mounting, and the evidence is splashed larger than life for all to see.

The campaign is more than political theater. Billboard placement targets high-traffic corridors—spots where families, business owners, and community leaders can’t help but notice. Each sign references hard data: IRS migration statistics, economic loss tallies, and interactive maps that trace the trails of wealth and people leaving blue states. The strategy is unambiguous—wake up policymakers and voters or risk further decline.

Migration, Money, and the Political Divide

The mass relocation from New York and New Jersey to Florida and Texas is no longer just an anecdote. IRS data confirms a decade-long trend, with a spike during and after the COVID-19 pandemic when remote work made relocation feasible. The billboards distill complex economic realities into a simple warning: as residents leave, so does taxable income, business dynamism, and civic engagement. This isn’t just a loss of numbers—it’s a transfer of cultural and economic capital that reshapes both the places left behind and the communities absorbing the influx.

Campaign spokesperson Steve Moore contends these departures are a direct result of failed state policies. He singles out high tax rates, regulatory burdens, and deteriorating public safety and education as primary drivers. The contrast is drawn sharply against red states, where lower taxes and perceived safer streets attract not just retirees, but young professionals and major employers. The result is an accelerating political and financial polarization, with blue states losing not only people, but also influence and vibrancy.

Economic Consequences and Political Stakes

Short-term, these billboards ratchet up the pressure on policymakers in Albany and Trenton. With local elections looming and public dissatisfaction simmering, the campaign’s visual and data-driven tactics force candidates to address the exodus head-on. The stakes include shrinking tax bases, reduced funding for public services, and a diminished ability to attract new business. For those staying behind, there is the looming threat of higher taxes or service cuts to make up for lost revenue.

They come to red states, don't change how they vote/live, and destroy that red state. Saw it happen in Denver, CO, Nashville, TN & Austin, TX.
'Gone to Florida and Texas': New billboards slam NY, NJ over massive resident flight to red states https://t.co/0d0KpZbrKG #FoxNews

— Dee Thompson (@PrissyDee99) October 23, 2025

Long-term, the implications are even more profound. As wealth and talent consolidate in destinations like Florida and Texas, new centers of economic and political gravity emerge. Real estate markets surge, schools expand, and infrastructure strains in these red-state magnets. Meanwhile, the ideological divide deepens: red states become redder, blue states bluer, and the notion of national unity feels even more elusive. Steve Moore warns that without decisive policy shifts, even Wall Street might someday decamp for friendlier locales—a scenario once unthinkable, now openly discussed.

Expert Analysis and the Road Ahead

Steve Moore’s analysis finds support in the data: IRS migration figures, census trends, and business formation statistics all point in the same direction. Moore does not claim all Democrats are blind to the problem; he credits moderate mayors in cities like San Francisco and Houston for bucking the trend with pragmatic, pro-business reforms. Still, the campaign’s central message is that high-tax, high-regulation models cannot compete with the economic magnetism of low-tax rivals.

The billboard campaign’s impact extends beyond the states in question. It serves as a warning shot to other high-tax jurisdictions, a rallying cry for advocacy groups, and a potent reminder that policy choices shape not just abstract numbers, but the very fabric of American communities. As the campaign runs through November 19, its true legacy may be measured not in the number of billboards erected, but in the urgent questions it forces onto the public agenda: Who gets to thrive, and who gets left behind, in a nation on the move?