Connect with us

Massachusetts

Exodus from Massachusetts continues, as more people moved to other states in 2025 – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Exodus from Massachusetts continues, as more people moved to other states in 2025 – The Boston Globe


That marked a jump from the prior 12-month period, when revised federal figures show the state had a net loss to other states of nearly 19,200 people. That new revision was actually good news for Massachusetts, as previous government data from a year ago showed a loss to other states of 27,500 in the 2023-2024 period.

In the prior two years, Massachusetts experienced even larger outflows — roughly 35,400 and 48,000 — amid a broader acceptance of remote work because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts has routinely ranked in the top five states for domestic outmigration in recent years, and last year was no exception: It finished fifth behind California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey in the loss of people to other states. Of the New England states, only Maine and New Hampshire saw positive domestic in-migration.

Still, the Massachusetts population has been growing slightly, hitting an estimated 7.15 million as of July 1 of last year. Massachusetts is still drawing more international immigrants, though at a far slower pace than in previous years when officials said increasing numbers of migrant families were stressing the state’s family shelter system.

The outmigration data has long been a politically valuable tool, depending on which argument you’re trying to make. Governor Maura Healey, who is seeking reelection this year, has regularly touted the importance of keeping residents and businesses in — and drawing new ones to — Massachusetts as part of a pledge to attack the state’s high cost of living and housing. The first-term Democrat went as far as pointing directly to migration data early in her tenure as a measuring stick.

And last year, her administration highlighted the numbers, which showed the losses dwindling from the pandemic-fueled highs, as good news.

This year’s ebb, meanwhile, could complicate her pitch of making Massachusetts a beacon for working families.

Advertisement

Healey and her Republican opponents have differed widely in framing the economic direction of the state, and her early campaign messaging this year has focused largely on promoting her “affordability” agenda and, to an equal degree, attacking Trump as a chaos agent who bears blame for the rising prices residents feel in their day-to-day life.

“I hope it can serve as a catalyzing data point,” Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said of the latest outmigration number. “It just hopefully shows you like everything in the policy realm, you can’t take your foot off the gas.”

Boston University finance professor Mark Williams found in 2024 that the top driving factors behind domestic outmigration from Massachusetts are taxes, housing costs, and health care expenses.

Immigration from other countries has helped offset the losses, but that could be tougher under the Trump administration’s crackdown. “Now we’re looking at public policy, White House policy, that’s going to restrict immigration flow,” Williams said. “This will create a challenge for Massachusetts.”

Economist Don Klepper-Smith has warned about what he calls the “three T’s” hurting states like Massachusetts: taxes, temperature, and traffic. (The Tax Foundation think tank recently ranked Massachusetts 43rd in terms of tax competitiveness.)

Advertisement

Now, Klepper-Smith says he would add a fourth “T”: the targeting of blue states for federal spending cuts.

“I think that creates a difficult situation and a slippery slope for fiscal health in New England,” said Klepper-Smith, formerly based in New England but now semi-retired in South Carolina. “There’s going to be upside pressure on property taxes. … There’s going to be growing calls for regionalism, growing calls for efficiencies. Every dollar counts in this economy. Every dollar counts.”


Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto. Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout.





Source link

Advertisement

Massachusetts

Gas prices in Massachusetts dip below $4 a gallon for first time in 2 months

Published

on

Gas prices in Massachusetts dip below  a gallon for first time in 2 months


Gas prices dipped below $4 a gallon in Massachusetts Thursday for the first time in exactly two months.

According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Massachusetts is now $3.99, down from $4.02 on Wednesday.

That’s the first time the average fell below the $4 mark since April 25.

Advertisement

The national average on Thursday was $3.92 a gallon, AAA said. That average was above $4 for nearly three months before it fell to $3.99 a week ago on June 18.

Gas prices rose sharply after the war between the U.S. and Iran started on February 28.

A spokesperson for GasBuddy, which also tracks fuel price data, said the national average has been dropping for six weeks as the “recent U.S.-Iran framework agreement has helped ease supply fears.”

The company said the national average should keep falling to $3.75 by July 4.

“Six weeks of declines sounds like good news, and in some ways it is, but the context matters,” Patrick De Haan, a petroleum expert at GasBuddy, said in a statement Thursday.

Advertisement

“At roughly $3.75, this would be the second most expensive July 4 ever recorded, roughly 65 cents higher than last year and nearly $1 above where prices started in 2026. The U.S.-Iran agreement gives markets hope, but it’s being tested, and any breakdown in those talks could reverse the recent relief quickly. Drivers should use every tool available to find the lowest prices near them before filling up.”

A year ago at this time, the average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts was $3.10, according to AAA.

The all-time high in the state is $5.05 a gallon, set back in June 2022



Source link

Continue Reading

Massachusetts

Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation

Published

on

Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation


A Massachusetts man who allegedly looked to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and bring drugs and alcohol to the meet-up has been arrested during a crackdown on human trafficking amid the World Cup.

Richard Lallier, 34, of Rehoboth, is one of 13 individuals who face exploitation and trafficking charges stemming from an operation that the FBI Boston has partnered on with the Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police during the global soccer tournament, dubbed “Operation Red Card.”

“Participating agencies emphasized that while major international sporting events bring significant economic and cultural benefits to host communities,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a statement on Tuesday, “they may also create opportunities for traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable populations.”

“Law enforcement agencies throughout the region remain committed to proactive enforcement efforts designed to deter human trafficking, identify victims, and hold offenders accountable,” the State Police added.

Advertisement

The Rhode Island State Police arrested six individuals, including Lallier, while the Massachusetts State Police apprehended seven suspects during a five-day operation between June 12 and 16.

The suspects arrested in Massachusetts range in age between 21 and 71, all of whom have been arraigned on state charges of sex for a fee with a child under 18, enticement of a child under 16, and attempted rape of a child.

In Rhode Island, Lallier, with a last known address in Rehoboth, is being held without bail on charges of attempted enticement, attempted interstate travel for sexual contact with a minor under 16 years old, and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.

Lindsay Laurie, a Rhode Island state trooper who went undercover to operate a Facebook profile that featured “age-regressed images” of herself, said in an affidavit that she informed Lallier via Messenger that he was speaking to a 15-year-old.

In response, Lallier, who went by the name of “Frank Land” on Facebook, allegedly said he was 34 years old before he asked for a “naughty video.”

Advertisement

Lallier also allegedly “sent multiple videos of his penis” to the undercover profile.

Two days later, last Wednesday, Lallier messaged the undercover profile again, explaining that he wanted to find “snow,” a “code word for cocaine,” Laurie stated. Lallier said he would “bring weed and fireball” to a meetup.

Last Friday, after Lallier confirmed to the undercover profile that he arrived in Rhode Island’s Lincoln Woods State Park, authorities arrested him, according to Laurie’s affidavit.

Major international events, such as the World Cup, lead to “large-scale travel” and “increased demand for lodging,” creating “opportunities for criminal exploitation,” according to Michael Soper, the program director of Boston Hotel Watch, an intelligence network connecting hotels and law enforcement.

Soper pointed to the “rapid expansion of short-term rental platforms” in creating a “significant and evolving challenge” to prevent human trafficking since the accommodations often have “less oversight, fewer standardized security protocols, and limited participation in established reporting networks.”

Advertisement

“As a result,” Soper said in a statement shared with the Herald, “illicit activity may occur outside the visibility of hospitality professionals and law enforcement partnerships, making the full scope of the problem difficult to measure.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Massachusetts

Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding

Published

on

Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding


“We are proud to support this remarkable group of nonprofit organizations and the essential work they do across Massachusetts,” Sincere Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Reiner said in a statement. “Their collective impact strengthens communities throughout the Commonwealth and we are honored to help advance their efforts.”

According to the foundation, grant recipients were selected across three focus areas: food security, housing stability, and safe spaces. Organizations receiving support in the food security category alongside Food Link include The Open Door in Gloucester, Worcester County Food Bank, Food For Free, and other nonprofits working to increase access to nutritious food.





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending