New York, California and other high-taxed states losing billions of dollars while Florida and others prosper from mass migration: IRS

Verdict: This New York Post article accurately reports IRS data on net adjusted gross income (AGI) shifts from 2022-2023—such as Florida's +$20.6 billion gain and California's -$11.9 billion loss—but frames the migration as primarily tax-driven without evidence from the data, which tracks only address changes, not reasons.

Key Strengths

• Precise data handling: The piece correctly cites IRS figures, including top losers (CA -$11.9B, NY -$9.9B, IL -$6B) and gainers like FL (+$20.6B), matching analyses from the Wall Street Journal and IRS SOI migration data.
• Clear visuals and quotes: Uses maps and a Realtor.com economist's comment on "affordability" to illustrate trends post-pandemic.

Techniques and Framing Choices

The article employs causal language unsupported by its primary source:

"states with the highest taxes like New York and California continued to bleed billions of dollars"

• Loaded phrasing: Terms like "bleed billions," "vicious cycle," and "high-taxed states losing... while Florida... prosper" imply taxes as the dominant driver, aligning with a critique of Democratic-led states.
• Partisan pattern emphasis: Lists losers as "all Democratic-led states with the highest taxes" (NY, CA, IL, MA, NJ, MD, MN) versus gainers like FL and TX, without noting cross-party flows.
• Evidence: IRS data confirms AGI net changes but states explicitly: "These statistics reflect changes of address... no information on reasons for migration" (IRS SOI page).

Cherry-picking destinations: Focuses on FL/TX/AZ/NV gains from CA/NY, but downplays NY's top outflows to NJ, PA, and CT—states with comparable or higher income taxes in some brackets.

• Why notable: IRS analyses (e.g., Wirepoints, SmartAsset) show NJ as NY's #1 destination (~30k-40k net annually), complicating a strict high-tax-to-low-tax narrative.

Verifiable Omissions

These gaps involve concrete facts that alter the reader's grasp of the data:

• No migration reasons in IRS data: The source tracks only filer address changes between tax years, not motivations like taxes, jobs, or family.
• Impact: Undercuts claims of "due to affordability and tax burdens."
• NY's primary destinations include higher-tax neighbors: Top spots: NJ (high income tax), PA, CT—not solely low-tax FL (2nd/3rd).
• Source: IRS 2022 data via Wirepoints/SmartAsset.
• Post-COVID factors documented elsewhere: Remote work flexibility and climate drew movers to FL/TX, per Census/IRS cross-analyses.
• Source: Fortune article on millennial wealth migration.

Source and Author Context

• New York Post: Right-leaning tabloid (AllSides rating: Right), known for sensational headlines and critiques of progressive policies in NY/CA.
• Author Rich Calder: NY Post real estate beat reporter; prior work highlights NYC policy failures (e.g., progressive housing regs), fitting this tax-migration angle.
• No factual errors in raw data, but pattern favors stories on blue-state outflows.

Other Outlets' Coverage

• Right-leaning sites like ClarkCountyToday.com echo the tax/policy framing but add regulations and regional gains (ID/MT).
• Neutral takes, like Realtor.com, stick to descriptive AGI maps without causation or partisanship.
• Progressive-leaning, like MassOpportunity.org (MA-focused), warn of tax-base erosion but cite CPA surveys (90% say taxes influence moves) for balance.

Bottom Line: Strong on verifiable IRS numbers, making it a useful data snapshot, but the heavy causal spin on taxes—absent from the source—tips it toward advocacy over neutral reporting. Readers get facts but a filtered lens; cross-check IRS raw data for unspun trends.

Further Reading

• Realtor.com: Net Income IRS Migration Data 2023 – Descriptive AGI map, no causation.
• The Unseen and The Unsaid: The Great American Tax Migration – Focuses on high-earner impacts and national scale.
• MassOpportunity.org: These Five States Have Lost the Most Taxpayer Income – MA-centric tax-base warnings with surveys.
• ClarkCountyToday.com: The Wealth Migration is Real – Policy-driven narrative including regulations.