In a recent letter to the editor, the writer expressed their support for the recent legislation in Texas regarding voting and abortion rights. The writer closes with the opinion that, “Considering migration patterns from blue states to Texas, it would appear that plenty of people approve of their policies. Those people are making their concerns felt by voting with their feet in favor of Texas and the way they are governing.” Is this statement fact or fiction? Let’s look at the facts:

1. Fact: Texas has led the country with in-migration of over 500,000 annually for seven straight years. The census estimated Texas welcomed 537,000 to 582,000 new residents in 2019. The top states for migration to Texas were California and Florida, respectively. Other top states for people moving to Texas included Louisiana, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Georgia and Arizona. How many “blue” states do you see in this list?
2. Fact: In 2019, The census also estimated 435,000 to 471,000 Texans moved to other states, yielding a net gain of approximately 100,000 people. It was second in the nation behind California for out-migration. In the end, almost as many “voted with their feet” and stampeded out of nirvana as moved there.
3. Fact: What was one of the top states many Texans moved to? You guessed it: California. Other popular options included Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia.
4. Fiction: When we look at the numbers, this is hardly a blue migration moving to Texas to “approve of their policies.”

By the way, the source of the numbers for this summary is none other than the 2021 Texas Relocation Report authored by Texas Realtors. Just Goggle it to read the entire report.