(New York Post) Escape from New York!
New Yorkers are so worried about crime, sky-high housing costs and struggling schools, 27% percent of state residents said they want to move away in the next five years, a survey revealed Wednesday.
A stunning 30% of respondents — who also cited inept political leadership and soaring taxes as reasons for wanting to flee — said they already longed to live somewhere else, according to a Siena College Research Institute quality of life poll.
Nearly a third — about 31% — plan to leave the Empire State when they retire while even more said they believe it’s not safe for kids.
Angela Gutierrez, 38, of East Harlem, is one of the many New Yorkers who will soon ditch the state.
“We’re going to Pennsylvania at the end of the month,” the home health aid and mother of three told The Post.
“We moved twice in the last 3 years! We moved out of the Bronx and it is better here but still not safe,” she said, adding “all the crazy people” have driven her family away.
“And everything is expensive! They’re raising the rent again and we can’t. It’s going up almost $800 a month so we are moving down where my sister-in-law lives,” she said.
Over 1/4 of New Yorkers want to leave the state in the next five years.Getty Images/iStockphoto
A total of 40% of respondents said New York is not a good place to raise children — including an alarming 61% of black respondents — and 26% said the overall quality of education is fair or poor as a statewide debate rages over opening more charter schools.
The widespread urge to hit the road is distressing for New York, which hemorrhaged residents during and after the worst of the coronavirus outbreak.
“These are high numbers. These are take your breath away numbers,” Don Levy, SCRI’s polling director said of the number of New Yorkers wanting to leave.
Three of New York City’s five counties — Queens, Brooklyn and The Bronx — saw some of the largest population declines in America last fiscal year, with only Manhattan bucking the post-COVID trend, according to US Census data released Thursday.
Many suburban and upstate counties, including Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau, also saw populations plunge, as residents said adios while few moved to the areas.
Survey respondents said they want to leave for the following reasons:
- A staggering 67% of residents said New York wasn’t affordable, while only 33% said it was.
- 49% of respondents rated New York fair or poor when asked if it is a place where they feel safe from crime. Only 51% gave an answer of good or excellent. Crime surged during the pandemic as New York’s bail and discovery laws were softened.
- 60% said New York is not a good place to retire, while only 38% said it was.
- 57% said the political system doesn’t work for them, compared to 38% who said it did. Democrats rule New York politics.
- Only 60% of respondents said NY was a good place to raise a child, 39% said it wasn’t — including 41% of Big Apple residents and 61% of black residents.
- About one-third of residents rated New York’s quality of life negatively, while 67% rated it positively.
- About 40% rated New York’s environmental quality poorly, while 60% rated it positively.
A total of 40% of respondents also gave a cloudy assessment of New York’s weather, while 62% said they liked the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
