MD loses residents to Florida, other states, as costs rise

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With the cost of housing and other items on the rise in Maryland, the state is losing residents at a steady rate, according to a report from the Maryland Comptroller‘s Office.

Between 2010 and 2023, Maryland lost a total of 2.3 million residents to other states, while approximately 2 million residents from other states moved into Maryland, according to the comptroller’s report.

During this time period, Maryland lost the most residents to Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina, West Virginia and Delaware on a net basis; and gained the most residents from Washington, D.C., New York, and New Jersey on a net basis.

The most severe net domestic outmigration occurred post-pandemic (2022 – 2024). In each of these years, Maryland ranked in the top 10 of all U.S. states for the largest net loss of residents to domestic migration.

Between 2010 and 2023, almost a third (31%) of total net domestic outmigration (100,000) was a net loss to Florida. This is not a new trend: Florida has been a top destination for outmigrants from Maryland since at least 2005, the earliest available data. About a quarter (26%), or around 75,000, was a net loss to Pennsylvania. North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina, West Virginia and Delaware are the other top states to which Maryland is losing residents on a net basis.

On the other hand, Maryland gained nearly 200,000 residents from Washington, D.C., New York, and New Jersey combined on a net basis during this period.

Migration trends align closely with housing costs. The states Maryland has lost residents to are generally more affordable for both homeowners and renters, and the states that Maryland has gained residents from generally have more expensive housing.

More young people now among those choosing to leave Maryland

Prior to the pandemic, on a net basis, Maryland primarily lost older, higher-income residents (i.e. retirees). Since the pandemic, the net share of younger and lower- and middle-income residents leaving the state has increased. This finding suggests that pre-pandemic, factors like taxes and weather may have been more prominent drivers of migration decisions, while more recently, housing affordability and overall cost of living are having a greater effect, according to the comptroller’s report.

There has also been a shift in the ages of those leaving Maryland. According to IRS tax data, before the pandemic (2011 to 2019), net domestic outmigration was driven by older residents: 63% were age 55 and over. Between 2020 and 2022, that percentage dropped to 46% and the share of younger people leaving the state grew, Between 2020 and 2022, 12% of net domestic outmigrants were under 26, and 37% of net domestic outmigrants were under 45, compared to just 1% and 21% respectively between 2011 and 2019.

Maryland’s housing issues by the numbers

Between 2000 and 2022, the share of households in Maryland earning enough income to afford the median-price home has fallen by over 25 percentage points, from 75% to less than50% of households, per the comptroller’s report.

The disparity between the average wage and the wage needed to rent a 2-bedroom apartment is greater in Maryland than all the states in the cohort that Maryland loses residents to on a net basis, with the exception of Florida.

Here are some key numbers to know about housing in Maryland:

• $446,400 home price;
• $2,389 monthly homeowner costs;
• $1,721 median renter cost;
• +21% new housing units since 2000;
• 6th most regulated state for residential development.

Reporting by Keith Demko, Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.