Millennials and Gen Zers are fleeing blue states in droves. Here are their top destinations

close Video ‘Stark contrast’: Red states outperform blue states, says Gov. Kim Reynolds Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who endorsed Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for 2024, reacts to his debate with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on ‘America’s Newsroom. Read this article for free! Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account! Please enter a valid email address.

By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive . To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Young Americans are increasingly choosing to abandon Democrat dominated states like California in favor of Republican controlled states in the South, Midwest and Mountain West, according to a new analysis of government data.

The report, which was analyzed and published on Jan. 3 by StorageCafe, shows that among the 27 states with a net positive migration of millennials in 2022, 18 had elected Republican majorities in both houses of their state legislature in the 2022 election. Their data further indicates that these red states experienced a total net migration of millennials that topped 242,000 in 2022 alone, with Texas, Georgia and Florida earning the top spots.

Americans considered to be a part of Gen Z appear to be ditching high cost blue states. (iStock) Other red states that saw large net increases in millennials include North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Kansas and South Carolina. RED STATES SEE 2023 POPULATION GROWTH AS AMERICANS FLEE BLUE STATES, CENSUS DATA SHOWS The five states with the biggest losses of millennials are all considered Democrat strongholds.

The biggest losers were California , which experienced a net migration of 73,000 millennials, and New York, which had a net migration of 60,000. Americans considered to be a part of Gen Z, which in the report was defined as young people aged 18 to 23, also appear to be ditching high cost blue states.

Video Among the five states with worst net migration of Gen Zers in 2022, all are heavily controlled by Democrats: New Jersey, California, Illinois, Maryland and New York. Combined, they experienced a net loss of more than 144,000 Gen Zers. Conversely, of the 10 states with the biggest Gen Z population gains in 2022, seven chose to put Republicans in charge of their legislatures in 2022, including North Carolina and Texas.

There was one bright spot for Democrats, however. Deep blue Connecticut experienced the highest positive net migration of Gen Zers in 2022, totaling just over 15,000. Considering the massive losses tallied in neighboring New York, it seems likely Connecticut’s gains are due to young people seeking to escape out of control cost increases in New York City.

Video THE REAL REASON ONE OF AMERICA'S WEALTHIEST MEN LEFT A BLUE STATE FOR A RED ONE Some might be tempted to think these migration patterns are linked to job opportunities , but the available data doesn’t appear to point in that direction. Some of the states with the lowest unemployment rates, such as Maryland and Massachusetts, are also the ones experiencing some of the biggest losses of young people.

It’s much more likely that the high cost of living in many blue states, perhaps coupled with rising crime in urban areas , is the best explanation for the migration patterns experienced in recent years. According to a comprehensive report by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center about the cost of living in all 50 states, the 10 states with the highest cost of living in the third quarter of 2023 were Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, New York, Alaska, Washington, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, and Oregon.

In all but two of those states – Alaska and New Hampshire – Democrats control the legislature. Video Among those 10 states with highest living costs, only two saw positive net migration of millennials in 2022, New Hampshire and Washington. It remains unclear what impact, if any, changes in political affiliation might have had on young people’s decisions to move to red states.

But it is worth noting that polling data indicates that support for Republicans among both Gen Zers and millennials increased during the 2022 election compared to previous election years. THOUSANDS OF BLUE STATE RESIDENTS FLOCK TO IDAHO, BRINGING CONSERVATIVE POLITICS WITH THEM: DATA Data from the Pew Research Center shows that 72% of voters aged 18 29 and 59% of 30 49 year olds voted for Democrats in 2018.

In 2022, support for Democrats among those two groups dropped to 68% and 52%, respectfully. Video Further, recent polling shows young people are abandoning President Biden at a shocking rate. Despite having overwhelming support from young people in the 2020 election, a recent USA Today/Suffolk University survey showed that in a hypothetical matchup in November 2024, former President Donald Trump would have more support than Biden among voters under 35 years old.

Faced with soaring cost of living increases and skyrocketing levels of violent crime, Gen Zers and millennials are moving to more affordable, safer communities, many of which are located in red states. The big question, however, the one that could shape the national political landscape for decades to come, is whether these younger Americans understand that it is liberals’ policies that created the problems that they are now running from.

Video Democrats’ reckless government spending is the biggest reason for the recent inflation crisis. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION Democrats’ defund the police, weak on crime policies are the reason so many cities have become unsafe. Democrats’ costly regulations and zoning restrictions are one of the biggest reasons housing has become too expensive in many areas, although inflation is likely even more to blame.

Video Democrats’ environmental policies are driving up the cost of energy nationwide, although blue states have been disproportionately impacted over the past two decades. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It seems some young people are starting to wake up to these realities, but much more work is needed.

If conservatives fail to show young people there’s a direct connection between blue state problems and blue state policies, millennials and Gen Zers will likely still continue to move to red states – but they will almost certainly bring their disastrous ideological views with them. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JUSTIN HASKINS Justin Haskins is the director of the Socialism Research Center at The Heartland Institute and a New York Times bestselling author..