People Fleeing the Coasts Because of Housing Costs

USA Today reports on the new census numbers:

The quest for affordable housing and jobs is driving Americans from expensive coastal states to more moderately priced parts of the country, according to an analysis of Census population estimates out today.

Halfway through the decade, people continue to leave states such as New York and California and spill into parts of the Southwest, Southeast and Rocky Mountains.

In the 12 months ending July 1, Florida gained more people (404,434) than any other state for the first time in at least 15 years. Despite four hurricanes that hit the state last year, Florida added an average 1,100 people a day, bringing its population to almost 18 million. If that pace continues, Florida will overtake New York as the third-most-populous state by 2010.

Other highlights in the data:

•New York lost people for the first time since 1980. “New York state's losses were masked in the boom of New York City and its suburbs in the '90s,” says Robert Lang, director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. “Once they slow down, even slightly, the decline Upstate becomes very apparent.”

•California was not the top gainer for the first time since 1995. Most of the state's net gain of 290,109 came from births. The data show that 239,417 more people left California for other parts of the USA than moved in.

Unless these expensive states get rid of land-use restrictions and unions the trend will continue.How else could Texas have become the nation's second largest state without affordable home prices? The coasts will continue to lose jobs to the heartland because they can't compete on housing costs.