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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for June 1, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
June 1, 2017: Four of America’s five fastest-growing cities are in Texas. Ten of the top 15 are in the South and none are in the Northeast. The Census Bureau includes all cities with more than 50,000 residents in this calculation.[1]
Conroe, Texas tops the growth list from 2015 to 2016. The top 15 are highlighted in the following image.
While Americans are less likely to move now than in earlier times, local officials are competing for residents in a very active market. The average American can expect to move about 12 times in their lifetime.[2] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 41 percent of Americans no longer live in the state where they were born.[3] That number naturally goes up as people get older. Around 40 million people move each year (one out of every eight Americans). While most moved within the same county, roughly a third of those moves crossed county or state lines.[4]
As I note in my new book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, this reality provides a powerful tool to hold local and state government officials accountable.
The market test that comes from voting with your feet produces results that seem to surprise those who are wrapped up in the political world. One example came from a theoretical listing of the best states put together by the Politico, a publication for Washington insiders. They rated New Hampshire as the best state in the union and found that nine of the 10 worst states are in the American South.[5]
However, if you look at Census Bureau data showing where Americans move to and from, five of the top seven states are from the South, and the worst states are New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and California. Eight of the 10 worst states by this measure come from either the Northeast or Midwest.[6]
Generally, but not exclusively, the states most overrated by Politico have higher taxes and a more active government than the Southern states preferred by Americans on the move.
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- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Municipal Government
- Largest cities in the United States by population
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "The South Is Home to 10 of the 15 Fastest-Growing Large Cities," May 25, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Migration/Geographic Mobility: Calculating Migration Expectancy Using ACS Data," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Lifetime Mobility in the United States: 2010," November 2011
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Geographical Mobility: 2008 to 2009 — Population Characteristics," November 2011
- ↑ Politico, "The States of Our Union…Are Not All Strong," January 12, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "State-to-State Migration Flows: 2014," February 26, 2016
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