The Stickiness of Texas: Why Texans Are the Least Likely to Leave Their State

Texans like almost everything about their state, except maybe the long stretch of days without rain and 100+ degrees this summer.

But how deep is that desire?

People born in Texas are the least likely in the country to leave their state, says a study of the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.

Maybe it’s its legendary expansive sky or its challenging culture; or it could be its hearty Tex-Mex cuisine and live music.

Or perhaps it is the cultural diversity of its large cities and the character and charm of its towns.

Also read: Majority of Texas voters support Governor Abbott’s immigration measures

No matter what the reason, the “stickiness”—as the Fed describes it—of the state is one of the reasons for its economic growth.

“The percentage of people who are born in a state who stay there is an important indicator of its attractiveness to workers,” says a study by Dallas Fed analyst and researcher Ana Pranger, economist Pia Orrenius and economics professor from the University of North Florida Madeline Zavodny.

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“The adherence of its native inhabitants is also key to maintaining a stable or growing population and workforce, which is vital for economic growth,” the researchers wrote.

They found that, as of 2021, 82% of people who were born in Texas had remained in the state.

The researchers used data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

With that percentage, Texas far exceeds the next states that retain the most native inhabitants.

Other “sticky” states are:

North Carolina (75.5%), Georgia (74.2%), California (73%) y Utah (72.9%).

What makes people stay?

Several factors make some states stickier than others, the researchers wrote.

For example, varied employment opportunities, above-average job growth, fiscal policy, cost of housing, and number of large cities.

Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are the fourth and fifth most populous metropolitan areas in the country.

Austin and San Antonio are also in the top 30.

“The five stickiest states had above-average job growth between 2010 and 2019; that is, there was less pressure on people to leave to look for work”, write the researchers.

“Multi-city states have a stickiness advantage because they can give their native inhabitants a wider variety of job opportunities and relatively higher wages than smaller or less populous states with fewer urban areas.”

Texas had job growth for 29 consecutive months, counting 26,000 new nonfarm jobs in July.

In 2022 Texas created 650,100 jobs, more than any other state and more than double its historical average.

Its job growth rate of 5% was the highest among any state and surpassed 3% nationally, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Where do those who leave go?

Wyoming is the least sticky state, with only 45% of its native inhabitants staying in it.

North Dakota and Alaska follow close behind with 48.6% and 48.7%, respectively.

Rhode Island and South Dakota round out the fund’s top five with adherence rates of 55.2% and 54.2%.

Texas had the lowest emigration rate in 2021, followed by Maine and Michigan.

Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii are the ones that experienced the greatest emigration.

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2023-08-30 16:04:59


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