1/3 of New Yorkers want to flee NY, citing cost of living and quality of life

 One in three New York residents plan to flee the Empire State within the next five years — with most citing the cost of living and declining quality of life as their driving factors, according to a new poll.

In a landslide majority — more than eight in 10 New Yorkers (86%) who responded to the Marist poll — believe that the state is no longer affordable for an average family, up from 82% in 2025.

Those high prices fueled 40% of the New Yorkers lining up to leave for greener pastures, while 21% cited quality of life; 15% said taxes; and 10% said politics, according to a Marist Poll conducted this month.

After the recent snow storms, NYC residents were outraged as piles of dog poop littered the sidewalks.AP

Another 7% are fed up with the weather.

The number of New Yorkers wanting to jump the state line (33%) increased 1% from Marist’s April 2025 poll — but was up from 27% 15 years ago, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the helm in Albany.

In 2024, 37% of respondents to the same pollster said they were ready to pack up and leave.

The willingness to get out of town was highlighted last year, when more residents moved out of New York and New Jersey than any other state — with most bound for the South and Pacific Northwest, according to United Van Lines’ 2025 National Movers Study.

In addition to the crippling cost of living, more than half of New Yorkers (51%) griped that the quality of life is getting worse — even as the city saw its safest January ever recorded last month, according to the survey.

After the recent winter storms, residents were outraged as piles of dog poop littered the sidewalks like landmines and massive mountains of uncollected garbage piled up on the city streets.

More than half of New Yorkers (51%) griped that the quality of life is getting worse, according to the survey.

The shocking new survey comes as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed a controversial 9.5% property tax increase — which has been slammed by black homeowners in the city.

And experts have warned the measure could lead to rent increases for already struggling tenants.

Garbage bags pile up along 8th Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.Gregory P. Mango

Mamdani framed the proposal as a “last resort” for raising revenue for his mammoth $127 billion budget if Albany and Gov. Kathy Hochul refused to approve the income tax hike he wants on New Yorkers making $1 million or more.

While Hochul sports a 46% approval rating, her highest since Oct. 2021, 56% of registered voters still think Albany is taking the state in the wrong direction.

She currently holds a commanding 17% lead over Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman — 50% to 33% — months ahead of November’s gubernatorial election.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saw his support plummet 34 points in his home state over the last year to an all-time low of 27%.

The Democrat, who has represented New York in the senate since 1999, is now viewed negatively by 50% of voters in his own party, the survey shows.

https://nypost.com/2026/02/26/us-news/one-third-of-new-yorkers-want-to-flee-ny-survey-shows/