(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania is losing residents by the thousands — and wealth by the billions.
More people left the state than came here in 2020, according to recent IRS data, taking with them $1.86 billion in adjusted gross incomes.
Federal tax forms filed in 2021, which reflects income from 2020, shows a net loss of 14,376 people for Pennsylvania. The IRS data does not account for people who left or moved to the state who did not file a tax return.
Many Pennsylvanians who left the state went south: Florida gained the most Pennsylvania residents with more than 32,000 people. Other top destinations were more local. New Jersey gained more than 26,000 Pennsylvanians, New York gained 17,000, and Maryland gained 11,000. Pennsylvanians also went to neighboring Delaware (11,000) and Ohio (10,000).
On the bright side, however, Pennsylvania had a net gain from New York and New Jersey: 37,000 New Yorkers and 30,000 New Jerseyites moved into the state, lessening the overall loss.
The annual loss of people and wealth for the state isn’t a new trend, but the impact is growing. Last year’s IRS data release, which showed changes for 2019, found that Pennsylvania lost 5,000 people and only $1.2 billion, as The Center Square previously reported.
That’s a 55% increase in the amount of wealth leaving Pennsylvania compared to a year ago.
From 2010-2018, Pennsylvania lost $10.4 billion in gross income, as The Center Square previously reported.
