What’s driving sun belt migration and why is New Mexico missing out?

An article, backed up by a San Francisco Federal Reserve working paper claims that the massive shift in recent decades from colder climates to warmer places in the Sun Belt is reversing itself due to climate change. That seems to be a stretch based on Census Bureau data showing that 6 of the 10 fastest-growing states last year would be considered “southern.” 

If true, the shift back to the Rust Belt and other northern states would have profound implications for American politics and the economy. However, as the Yahoo Finance article about the report notes:

Southern states might still be gaining population for reasons other than weather. Some have no state income taxes and friendly regulatory policies that draw businesses and workers. Elon Musk, for instance, recently said he’s relocating the headquarters for his companies Tesla (TSLA) and Space X from California to Texas. Labor unions are less entrenched in the South, which has drawn many foreign automakers and other types of manufacturers.

Anyone who knows anything about New Mexico would agree with that. Virtually AL of New Mexico has plenty of sun. We also have warm places like Las Cruces and cooler ones like Santa Fe. New Mexico should be one of the best places to be, right?

What we don’t have is a strong economy (or a good education system and low crime). So, perhaps the issue all along that has prevented New Mexico from taking off is actually our bad policies and not the inherent attributes of our State?

Regardless of climate change I think the most economically-free states and counties will do just fine. Perhaps more interesting is that Americans just aren’t moving as much as they used to?