Texas
Texas is attracting young and rich movers ditching California and New York
Move aside old, Texas money; nouveau riche is moving to the Lone Star State.
Amid the state’s attempt to snatch the crown as the financial hub of the United States, Texas now ranks second in the country for attracting young and rich people. The state had a net gain of 1,660 new young and rich households based off a study by SmartAsset using 2021 and 2022 data from the IRS.
Individuals aged 26 to 35 who earn more than $200,000 are considered wealthy, according to the study. Only Florida narrowly beat out Texas with a net gain of 1,786 new young and rich residents.
Still, it underlines the growing sentiment affluent individuals feel about states like California and New York as both were in the top five for negative net migration. California lost 3,226 young and rich households while 345 young and rich households abandoned New York.
California and New York ranked first and fourth respectively for losing young and rich households.
Between 2010 and 2019, Texas attracted over 25,000 establishments to move to the state. Many have said it’s due to the state’s business friendly climate over issues like taxes. The state has no income tax; a move which may also be attracting the young and rich.
Half of the other states winning over the latest breed of young money, like Florida, Tennessee and Nevada, also don’t have income tax. Nine states in the U.S. don’t charge income tax and five of them made it into SmartAsset’s top 10 list for young, affluent movers.
Since rich people have the most to win or lose from charging income tax, it’s likely one of the biggest drivers pushing households to Texas, said SmartAsset’s director of economic analysis Jaclyn DeJohn.
“While this study didn’t include data that pins down exactly what’s driving the shift, there are several economic incentives that may entice the young and rich to move to Texas,” she said. “In particular, the state and local governments do not charge income tax on residents, which may shave off a sizable portion of income taxes for high-income young people living in states that do charge income taxes.”
More companies focusing on big money industries like technology, finances, real estate and more is also a big factor that’s attracting young talent to the state, DeJohn said. Areas like Dallas, Austin and Houston are mostly to credit with gaining corporate relocations like SpaceX, AECOM, CBRE and more.
Winning over the rich and young is a victory for the state economically speaking, Dejohn said.
“Overall, more wealth coming to Texas helps add to the bottom line of local businesses. While no income tax is collected on these newcomers, they do still have an impact on Texas’s tax base via sales, excise and property taxes,” she said. “The age group of incoming wealth also has an impact on which businesses, services and amenities are in demand, potentially leading to changes in supply.”
The young and rich moving to Texas is also a part of a bigger trend of the state’s young workforce growing. Texas is gaining more Gen Z movers than any other state, according to a study from Zillow Group Inc. Plus, it adds to the Dallas’ already existing reputation as a haven for affluent individuals.
Dallas is the 22nd most wealthy city in the world, sixth in the U.S., according to a report from London-based private investment migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners.
