New Mexico: an island of outflowing migration in the fast-growing Southwest

This is another pitch for the excellent website Votewithyourfeet.net. The website is a trove of resources for anyone interested in comparing economic and demographic information among US states. It is worth the time just to look around and check out all the information available. One of the more important relating to New Mexico is the map below which shows the movement of Americans (not foreigners) from state to state during the period from 2012-2023. You can toggle the map to “latest year” 2022-2023 which ALSO shows New Mexico to be losing people to other states.

Why is this a problem? Well, growing states are healthy states. That’s not just an economic issue, it’s also an indicator of what your policy climate looks like. Yes, there are other reasons people might move from (say Alaska or Kansas) to another state (like weather), but taxes, jobs, education systems, crime, and broader opportunities have driven humans to move from place to place for eternity. It is perplexing that New Mexico, a state blessed with great weather, oil and gas, and natural beauty, is seeing outward migration while ALL of our neighbors are seeing an influx of people.

RGF recommends tax reform (including eliminating New Mexico’s income tax), education reform including school choice AND the Mississippi model, all while keeping New Mexico’s oil and gas flowing.