The Tax Foundation published a new map Monday showing the migration of income between states in the decade 2000-2010, with Maryland losing $5.5 billion in taxable income along with 66,000 residents.
The map has been making the rounds on Facebook, posted by conservative politicians and activists as further proof that Maryland taxes are driving people out of the state. The map is based on tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service, the same data Change Maryland used last year to show Maryland losing residents to states such as Virginia, a story picked up by national media.
On the map, the losing states are shown in purple and pink, and are generally higher tax states. The interactive map of the Tax Foundation website links back to the fuller data on which the map is based.
High tax states big losers
In general, high tax states such as New York, California and New Jersey are the big losers, while lower tax states are the big gainers: Florida, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina and Nevada (Florida, Texas and Nevada have no state income tax.)
Neil Bergsman, director of the tax-friendly Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, said, “There’s no problem with the data. The problems is the Tax Foundation wants us to assume that all these people are moving out of Maryland because of tax policy,” while “they are moving mostly for other reasons,” warmer weather and lower housing costs being some of the main reasons.
The map doesn’t show a consistent picture. Low tax states such as Louisiana, Alaska, Mississippi and North Dakota are losers, and higher tax states such as Hawaii and Maine are gainers.
The biggest net migration into Maryland over that decade came from the District of Columbia, New York and New Jersey. The largest number of Marylanders leaving went to Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
Bergsman speculates that many of those leaving Maryland are retirees, and concedes that some could be influenced by Maryland’s higher estate taxes.
–Len Lazarick
Yeah State taxes are high, tag on about 3% county taxes to that.. that make 8+ on income tax by MD, then sales tax on food/shopping are higher, real estate is not affordable and after all that effort to buy a house, schools are not that great.. they wont create new roads in dc suburbs all they say is purple line and multi-**#$ strategy to commute… they dont build new metro lines.. speed cameras/traffic light cameras… well sounds like GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE
I left Md back in 03 best thing I ever did, The wife and I went back to see family one day and going back home to Pa she said that Md has gotton so dirty. I grew up in pasadena an that town has turned into a mess, It’s just sad to see how bad my home town is now.
Maryland is a messed up Democrat State.
If you hate someone then tell them to move
to Maryland.
I don’t know what yall talking about I’m from NYC and love living here but if I lived in Maryland I would love it.
MD sucks. omalley and the liberals tax anything that moves then tax it again. the bay bridge toll is a good example. going from $2.50 a car to $6 an eventually $8 bucks. forced emission testing on all MD drivers is another tax/fee forced on us. and don’t forget the rain tax.
Congratulations, Maryland ! Quite an achievement ! Yay !
I for one will be glad when all you negative people leave the state, yes we have high taxes but I love living here, I truly love this state. Go find your perfect promise land with lower taxes, no illegals and whatever else the last 50 commentators are ranting about. This is what will happen, You go find this perfect place you’ve dreamed of for practically free, where you can shelter your children from the evil homosexuals and illegals. This place will start off quiet, but then it will grow because this is the perfect promise land after all. Then all the sudden you’ll need wider roads, more highways, more waterlines, bigger schools,You’ll start to notice the pollution is getting out of control in the local rivers and ponds. Then you’ll demand that the government do something able it, and how do you think their going to fix all that? I’ve worked for every dime I have and a third of my paycheck gets taken out for taxes, Yes I pay $6 dollars to drive over the bridge and i’m OK with it. These are the sacrifices we Marylanders forced to make. But I enjoy our 4 season with mild winters and mild summers, i enjoy our how infrequent we are struck with nations disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes and when we do the damage is minimal. I can go to the beach or hike in the mountains, swim in a river, bay or ocean and only have to drive an hour away. We’re home to John Hopkins, lets hope that none of your children get sick, or i guess your plan is to publicly pray them better in their schools. And lastly we are home to some great sports; we have the Ravens, not a Ravens fan, fine we also call the Redskins family, we have the Orioles, Preakness and the grand Prix. So yes I wave my MD flag with Pride.
I love living here, too. But not when my quality of life is reduced to such an extent that I can’t go to a Ravens or Orioles game. I have to save that money to pay for all the taxes, fees, and tolls this spendthrift government steals from me. My husband and I used to love to go to the movies on a weekend night. We were forced to give that treat up because our taxes ate up our entertainment fund in our budget. We used to go out on a paid sailboat excursion a couple of times during the summer on the Bay. We had to give that up. We used to go stay at a couple of our favorite Bed and Breakfasts in the state about three times a year. We had to cut that out, too. I haven’t been to an Orioles game in 3 years because I can’t afford it. Gotta save that money for the greedy jerks in Annapolis.
When you finally realize that all the things you loved to do in the state are being taken away from government thieves, you come to the conclusion that you need to move to a cheaper state so you can enjoy your life and get out and have fun again.
You act like Maryland is the only beautiful state in the country. Got news for you….there are many beautiful places to live throughout the nation. I moved here in 1992 from Texas because of my job. I still love Texas…many wonderful and gorgeous places to live there. The Hill Country is majestic. Austin is magnificent. East Texas is plush with forestry. The plains in West Texas are great. Dry weather there…no horrible humidity. Also, the sunsets are the most beautiful in West Texas. If you love humidity…go to Houston or Galveston. The beaches are fantastic in Galveston and Corpus Christi. The mountains in Big Bend and the Davis Mountains are incredible. Terrific cities there. The best Mexican food in the world….San Antonio. Dallas and Ft. Worth are wonderful cities.
I fell in love with Maryland when I moved here 22 years ago and I want to stay. But with every stroke of O’Mallady’s pen on some stupid bill that affects my everyday quality of life, he drives me closer to the point that it might be time to think about going back to Texas where individual quality of life is still valued.
The problem with Marylanders like you is that you think in the mindset that to live in this state we are to suffer and survive the best way we can.
That is not what Marylanders should be doing……suffering to live in this beautiful state.
If you want to suffer…..stay here in Maryland, move to California, New York, or to Massachusetts. You can suffer with excessive high taxes until hell freezes over.
I choose to enjoy the fruits of all my labor and enjoy my life.
you people protect child molesters, terrorists, rapists…etc
MD is doing the same mistakes as Detroit by taxing more and more a smaller population of residents and it will thus reach its inevitable conclusion as Detroit did.
Welcome to The Peoples Republic of Maryland……..
I have lived in MD for my entire life and will be out of this high tax state within 6 months. Probably to PA.
to JR207…good god what planet on your on…talk about a bigot…you promote your own racism with your mean and ugly personal comments to the woman that mentioned she was unhappy with the way our country was going with many topics. You just proved her point….and mine.
I don’t think you understand what racism means
It is obvious you don’t have a clue what racism is either.
I suspect she meant Xenophobia but this is usually accompanied by significant racism.
I left because I was sick of the prices of housing and all the illegals everywhere. I lost a good friend because he wouldn’t give up his seat on a bus. An illegal shot him. My friend was only 12 years old. I am all around fend up with our government.
Not just the old are leaving Neil ..I’m leaving because of higher taxes and I’m following where the jobs are going ..Virgina, West Virgina and Penn the same places you said the elderly are going ..Get your head out of your %&$
I hope Maryland loses enough population to lose a Congressional seat to a Red State.
The state of Texas has already added a new Congressional seat because of the migration from the high-tax states.
I won’t be much longer before Maryland loses a seat the rate of evacuation that is happening now.
Left Maryland in 1992 for a job in Texas. NEVER moving back, Texas is a damn nice place to live.
how are the Mexicans down there?
They’re Migrant Americans, actually nice people truth be told. Not that I approve of the open boarder or the POS bill in congress. In Houston the Hispanic population outnumbers the white and black, I’m still waiting for my minority benefits, I’ve requested a Ferrari………
Better than the ones in md
We’ll you bone-heads keep voting for these liberals takers…What did you expect?
Wally not all of us vote for these liberals. If you get away from the beltway, Baltimore to PG County, you will find MD is fairly conservative. But the area I mentioned is dense enough (population and in the head…lol) to carry the state.
Our POS governor Oh-Mau-Li is nothing more than a socialist, tax raising, backstabbing traitor that wears a chit eating grin on his face. Oh-Mau-Li has run this poor state and the tax paying people of this state into the ground. People are quickly getting wise to you Oh-Mau-Li. How’s that lousy 1% in the presidential poll working out for you traitor? LMAO. Rain tax my ass!
problem is carpetbaggers moving in from New York and New Jersey…..
Great job, governor. When the wife and I leave in a few years (when she’s eligible to retire) you can add two more and some more dollars to the figures. It’s the draconian nanny-state regulation, the taxes now and the promise of even more, the gun laws, the freebies for those who don’t pay taxes, and the sheer audacity of the “progressive” socialist agenda the Democrats love to pursue.
I have been a resident in MD for 57 years and I would love to move. Our schools are not great, they teach the same corrupt crap that Obama spouts, I have home schooled for 4 years now because I do not want my children to think of the Founding Fathers as terrorist, learn to wear a burka, attend classes teaching them about being homosexual, can not pray or say the Pledge to our flag. The taxes are out of sight, yet the roads, over passes and bridges are in bad need of repair or replacement. When MD government can says we are not loosing everyday it is proof that when God said “He would bring great delusion on those that would not believe the truth in latter days “, He meant it. If MD lost over $5 billion in taxable income and over 60,000 residents between 2000 and 2011, imagine how many left between 2011 to 2013, with the increases in taxes and utilities alone. We should be in a position to draw people to MD, it is a beautiful state and has so much to offer, however, people are not moving to MD, they are leaving.
Tolls have gone up as well,maybe not as bad as taxes but still hurts the common resident that uses tolls roads or bridges!
Which Maryland are you living in?! Our roads may be congested, but they are in fantastic condition as compared with our PA and WVA neighbors. The ignorant bull crap you speak about regarding teachings of homosexuals, prayers in schools, and learning to wear burkas is absurd. Prayers in school? Ever heard of freedom of religion? I don’t want to hear you pray to your silly God in public school. This is America. It’s a melting pot. You want to talk American? You’re not a Native American… oh, how about you go back to where YOU came from! You have an old, southern, racist, ignorant mindset and I’d be glad to have one less person like you in this great state.
And FYI, our schools are ranked among the top in the country. But I can see that you were obviously home schooled or failed to listed while that person called the teacher was doing their best to fill your tiny little mind with knowledge.
I agree many taxes and laws in Maryland make little sense, but cut the racist crap. Welcome to the 21st century.
To JR207; good God what planet on your on? Talk about bigots!~ With your ugly personal attacks on the Karolh, you proved her point, and mine too.
You have some anger issues. You spout out about KarolH yet all of the language you spew is of hatred and intolerance for other people’s views that aren’t your own. You call America a melting pot yourself but in the same breath you criticize call names and spew hate and foul language of someone that is in your same melting pot. You’re not practicing what you preach and until you do, you have no argument.
“Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you.”
Hahahaha! Good one……Darth Vader JR207.
MD is a racist state with high taxes, mostly poor schools, bad roads & high prices for everything, We had enough after being born & raised in md for 47 yrs
JR207 pulled the race card, lol…And on a post that never once mentioned race. This is entertaining. Based on his/her post, I would guess he is 18 or so years old. Let me give you a little lesson JR207. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from it. I may pray where ever I want to and that includes in front of you and in a public school. You dont want to hear my prayers? tough cookies. Dont like it? Dont listen.
You poor poor person. I feel very sorry for you.
another left leaning person who feels entitled by the leftist government..we are not tad pols in a pond.each of us is different and each of us has the ability to be great..so to the left ,the roads in maryland are terrible,the tax structure can not sustain itself and 60000 people have left..hope you will be happy when your tax percent goes over 50%..and the healthcare system simply does not work..md is not a place for the future,don’t believe this,just wait it will come..thanks to omalley and obama we have a society quickly letting the government take care of them selves..yes i am leaving this state and never to return..have a happy day…don’t forget to reward the illegal residents and make sure you put that burden on the legitimate residents..what a sick system..see ya wouldn’t want to be ya
I absolutely agree with everything you’ve stated!!
Bergman fails to mention the REAL reasons people are flying out of Maryland: O’Malley is making it a come-to state for illegal aliens; the greeny-goon riverkeepers masquerade as volunteers while they sneak around and stalk productive business owners and residents, and harass them by making erroneous reports to county agencies; Maryland in general is nearly regulated to death and getting worse by the minute; the MD PSC has thus far failed to put a complete halt to the utility companies shameful disregard to people’s individual rights to choose or refuse smart meters – which BGE admitted TWICE in public testimony that the meters have NOT undergone any testing for human health affects; which are also NOT ‘UL certified’; which will also allow hackers to tell when you are on vacation (making it a piece of cake to break in and rob you)…..the list could just go on….. but the icing on the cake is that O’Malley is giving his support to the muslim jihadist ilk to build the BIGGEST MOSQUE in the country, right here in what was truly once the ‘free’ state of Maryland……….but sadly, is now probably the WORST, MOST CRIME-RIDDEN, LEAST FREE STATE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. Hope the brain-dead Dems will be happy sleeping all by themselves in the bed they have made – after all the productive, responsible people get the hell out before sharia law takes over.
It is wonderful that you all are deciding to move.
You think it may be wonderful.
But when all the state tax providers leave, then who is going to pay for all the takers of the state tax money?
I know of several people who have left Maryland in the past three years. These are people who have lived here most of their lives and are sick of what this state has turned into under O’Mallady.
Many more will leave as this state taxes its residents to death and no person can afford to live here. Pretty soon the only people that will stay to live here are those people who only work for a government job. So their own taxes will be paying their own paychecks. Liberals will be cannibalizing themselves to keep the state afloat because all the conservatives have given up on the state and left for places like Texas and Arizona.
Be careful what you ask for…..you just might get it.
This is how Progressives think. They talk a really good talk with “Choose Civility” and “Coexist” bumper stickers. However, in reality there is a deep rooted hatred for anyone who does not agree with their Progressive, social justice, liberal ways of thinking.
I did read somewhere that Montgomery County is #2 in the nation behind the entire state of CA for welcoming illegals. We have several CASA of MD sites where illegals can register to work as day laborers. Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t this a violation of Federal law? As a police officer, I worked overtime details stationed at CASA of MD to help keep the illegals from committing crimes and harassing the citizens. This is one place your tax dollars go! One of the many redistribution efforts by our elected leaders. Owemally also wants to be one of the first states to implement the Affordable Health Care Act (more redistribution)
In the People’s Republic of Maryland, Owe Malley doesn’t call illegal aliens what they are. He prefers to use the name “New Americans”. I can’t wait for him to run for President where he’ll find out that he has no support outside of the Progressive controlled states.
And O’Malley still tries to lie about how great the state is doing and how we are gaining not losing. Something like 7,000 to 9,000 tax paying residents existed the state this year.
I can’t wait to get out of Maryland. You pay and pay…and get nothing in return.
You get the best public schools in the nation.
In the past 4 years 34 tax increases have taken place. Yet schools budgets have declined, and so has the quality of education. Yes MD has good schools, but that’s 100% thanks to the large Jewish influence.
Property values have gone down because of the banking & real estate crisis. This was less of a problem in Maryland compared to those awesome states like Nevada & Florida.. but it still reduced taxable income.
As a responsible steward of tax payer funds I suspect our government found it necessary to reduce budgets and raise taxes where necessary.
Jewish influence? What are you talking about, holy crap, funny how this type of racist language creeps in to libertarian tea bagger rants. Always devolves in to gimme my guns, kick out the ferrrinerrs, and it’s the fault of (name your group – Jews, Latin American, Muslims.. )
I realize my taxes are high but it is good to know that an ambulance will show up at my door if my gun toting schizophrenic neighbor decides to shoot me because “God” told him to.
Libertarians and the Tea Party are not the same and should not be lumped together. Your description does not fit Libertarians in the slightest.
The reason we’re stuck with a 2 party system in this country is because people won’t take 10 minutes to research and see what opther political ideologies are. Instead, a Libertarian is grouped with Tea Party members. Ignorance is bliss to some I suppose.
I guess I get confused is Ron Paul a libertarian or a republican? What about Rand Paul? This may be the source of my confusion.
How do lower property values translate to lower taxable income? The two are completely separate. If someone rents an apartment in Maryland then decides to leave we lose taxable income. If a homeowner sells his property, prior to leaving MD, to someone currently renting, the property tax is still collected but guess what, we lost taxable income because the first homeowner left. I don’t see the correlation.
The majority of school budgets come from the county. Counties receive revenue from property taxes. Property taxes have decreased because the value of properties has decreased. Do you see the correlation now?
You might want to do a bit of research on political parties Maryland Dem. As a registered Libertarian, I find it hilarious that you want to group MY political party with an ultra right wing faction of the republican party. Perhaps it would surprise you to know that Libertarians believe in more social freedoms (pro choice, pro marijuana legalization, pro gay marriage, etc etc etc). Before you run your mouth, read a book-
Signed- a 30 year old who clearly knows more about politics than you.
Best schools in the nation based on what? Test scores? I suggest you read what’s behind the statistics before touting them. Statistics are often misconstrued to tell the story you like. In any case, if MD has the top schools in the nation, tell me why Maryland students consistently play catchup when entering college, because they are entering college well below the college level of education.
the state of maryland has the best schools in the nation?..the nations ranking in the world is 28th,so that means maryland is the best of the worst,only,the left can see the sanity in this..poor souls…maryland was a nice stable state at one time..now it is becoming a socialistic state..its easy to leave a place that punishes the residents who are legal..sorry state,too many o’s in charge
That really doesn’t say much for the rest of the country. Most of the students I encounter can’t count without a register/calculator or form a grammatically correct sentence.
The best schools that teach Communism 101 and Global Warming 102.
History, science, math, english, spelling, civics………not so much.
No surprise when you tax the people to death and take away their constitutional rights to own firearms.
Neil Bergsman, the director of the progressive uber-liberal tax-friendly Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute is salivating to put both of his hands deeper into Maryland taxpayer’s pockets because of the decreasing tax base.
Democratic Governor O’Malley and the mayor of Baltimore don’t seem to understand the concept of increasing the taxpayer base (more productive working people) and thus reducing the tax rates!
I know, their only answer is to raise taxes which tends to push people away or prevent people from migrating here
As a life long Maryland resident and worker in the state, I’m proud of Maryland’s commitment to the environment, our top rated schools, and our progressive leadership. I’ve benefited tremendously from all of these things.
I am disappointed that we elected a republican governor a while ago who forced our county to build this giant highway to nowhere, the ICC.
I’m furious that this democrat governor is forcing us in the city to accept the ruin of our neighborhoods with this ridiculously expensive and wasteful boondoggle called the Red Line. I’m moving to Delaware with the rest of my family who already moved.
This is all the cost of growth. We would not be having this discussion if there were not lots of gainfully employed people needing to get from one place to another.
Trust me, a light rail is far better than an 8 lane highway next door to your house.
Right, a light rail that will never even pay it’s own operating costs for a few riders who happen to live or work near its path, while the two-lane road that 8-lane highway would have replaced is filled with stopped traffic it can’t handle costing taxpayers and businesses millions of dollars in wasted time and resources, spewing more and more greenhouse gasses, and using more fossil fuels than ever before. What a great use of the taxpayer’s money and going green by our useless governor and his useless administration.
yes the criminals need to get around here because most don’t drive! They have park n rides so don’t need your rails here anyway! The farther away we are from mass transit the less crime there is!
The problem with any mass transit project in Maryland is that it was built with the left ideology that if you provide the poor with transportation, they will get better jobs. Just not the case. Rather than a metro that best served the common good of this state, we got a metro that connected some of the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore with the hub of Baltimore’s downtown and the beautiful wealthy county. I lived in Owings Mills before the metro came out there. When it was complete, crime jumped 400% in the surrounding area (so says baltimore county police statistics). My neighborhood in the county was overridden with crime. At one point, there was a home invasion with possible hostage situation blocks from my house and I said enough was enough. An area that was once very affluent with high end stores, once home to the only Saks Fifth Avenue in Maryland and high end car dealerships, today is dried up and has boarded up store fronts and a mall that will soon be demolished. So yeah, as long as dem ideology is thrown into the development plans of public transportation, I am totally against it. Keep your stinking transportation and I will keep my neighborhood in the county safe and crime free.
Then you pay for it and leave the rest of us alone.
To MDS: The only thing the ‘progressive’ Maryland leadership has done is to ‘progress’ us right to the toilet bowl. You are obviously one of the ‘low information voters’. Come up for air and get yourself an education as to what is happening in REAL life around Maryland.
I pride myself on consuming lots of information even if it means putting up with clueless readers like yourself. I suggest you figure out how to make your way in this world then being clobbered by it won’t make you so bitter.
Yeah…wise up to get those free benefits……….and screw the taxpayer some more…….
You are a moron. We moved here 2 years ago as my gf got a job that pays over 6 figures a year but is still broke after all this tax hike and money going to programs that give illegals in state tuition! It took a year and a half to get an ID here because my birth certificate copy wasn’t good enough for them,but they want to give Illegals drivers licenses!!!! End welfare after 2 years quit giving money to people who don’t live legally!
MDS is an idiot who has no real idea how hard it is to live with all these new taxes each year ..On EVERYTHING !! Some of us sir have to work for our money and have to pay for our own schooling, Maryland is not the place for that unless you Illegal then your going to get hooked up for free
I live with the same taxes you do. I paid for and received my BS degree and MS degree from UMD. They have served me well.
My father, while working for the federal government figured out how and why asbestos causes cancer. Your tax dollars at work.
BS degree is right!!
No doubt you too are working for the federal government with your degrees. Too bad you don’t have the smarts to work in the private sector.
Liberals always have to work FOR the government because they would never risk their own money to start a business.
The ICC is great and a time save to travel from 270 to 95 without sitting on the 495 parking lot. too bad I have to pay toll (taxes) for a road that my tax dollars built. I spend as much in toll as I do in fuel traveling from Mont Co to Baltimore. Also. Gas is much higher here in MD due to the taxes.
Typical liberal dummy
Well…then live here for the rest of your life and enjoy your benefits.
Meanwhile, the rest of us will leave and let you and all your other liberal progressive friends can cannibalize each other when the tax base leaves that is supporting you and your benefits.
We’re MD residents and we are absolutely planning to move, it has nothing to do with political affiliation Because politically we are somewhat represented it is about the gun laws & taxes for our family, the cost of living is ridiculous. I moved from NJ to MD, NJ’s property tax was awfully high.
I would leave now if it wasn’t for being dug in with a farm. An increased
gas tax, our rain tax and other tax increases plus stupid regulations, more gun
control and green energy spending infuriates me. This state is controlled by
Democrats 2 to 3 times the number of Republicans in our legislature. I have
testified in front of committees and you can feel the arrogance of those
members. The useful idiots who keep electing them need to be abandoned by
productive citizens like me and then let them see how good their progressive
government is; Maryland can’t print money likes the Feds.
Perhaps “amr” would leave Maryland if his farm subsidies weren’t to good…….
Perhaps you should know more about me before you jump to conclusions. I
could but don’t get farm subsidies and have been called a fool for not doing
so. Well, if I condemn high taxes, impart caused by such largess, why would I
get subsidies.
I came out of retirement to work partly, after almost 7 years, because of the
increasing costs of almost everything when balanced against my diminishing life
savings. In reality that means there is one less job for a younger person. So
if taxes were lower, resulting in my direct and indirect cost being less, there
just might be another job available for young people.
I have lived all over the US and returned to MD because of parents aging.
There are 2 of 4 still around, so we stay here. And MD is one of the worse
states in the region for elder care benefits from the state. ~ 2 billion for
the governor’s New Americans, though, in our sanctuary state.
Maybe when the real estate market improves and our parental obligations are complete, we will move.
Some PA counties are attractive and PA does NOT tax my IRAs.
Well duh. It fails to mention all the business that moved or folded due to marylands tax rates.
or gun laws