New York watched more personal income taxpayers walk out than walk in during 2024, with state part-year filer counts showing 121,251 people moving in while 134,913 left - a net loss of 13,662 filers. Those exits were concentrated among married, middle-income households, raising fresh questions about the stability of the state’s tax base and the mix of wages that fund public services. The numbers land just as Albany and city leaders weigh budget moves that could influence who digs in and who calls the movers.
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli rolled out an interactive taxpayer migration dashboard that tracks year-by-year inflows and outflows and lets users slice the data by filing status and income, according to the Office of the State Comptroller. The tool shows part-year resident filers made up about 2 percent of all filers in 2024 and confirms the 121,251 inbound and 134,913 outbound counts that produced the 13,662 net loss. The comptroller’s office cautioned that because personal income taxes are the state’s largest revenue source, even modest shifts in filers can carry outsized budget consequences.
Where the losses were biggest
“I remain very concerned about the net loss of married, middle-class filers,” DiNapoli said in a statement, and his office’s data show married households earning $100,000–$500,000 accounted for roughly 8,200 of the net outflow in 2024, more than half of the total. The dashboard also shows out-migration rates climbing at higher income levels, with households making $500,000 or more leaving at a higher rate than other groups. That matters because a relatively small share of filers generates a large share of personal income tax liability, which magnifies the fiscal hit when they depart.
Taxes and spending tug at migration
Tax and spending metrics help frame those choices. The Citizens Budget Commission found New York collects about $12,495 in state and local taxes per person, the highest per-capita figure in the country, and its analysis notes that New York City business activity faces a top combined corporate tax rate of roughly 17.44 percent once state, city and regional levies are stacked. The commission argues that those layers of taxation, paired with high public spending, can shape competitiveness and factor into how families and firms decide where to live and do business.
Schools, jobs and the composition of growth
Public spending is also part of the picture. The U.S. Census Bureau reported New York’s current per-pupil K–12 spending was $31,918 in fiscal 2024, among the highest in the nation. At the same time, recent job gains in the city and state have been concentrated in Health Care and Social Assistance, sectors that generally pay less than finance, professional services and tech, a shift highlighted by the Office of the New York City Comptroller. Taken together, high taxes, large per-pupil spending and a tilt toward lower-paid local jobs help explain why some middle-income households feel squeezed and rethink where they call home.
What comes next
Policy choices will determine whether the trend eases or hardens. DiNapoli has urged lawmakers to focus on affordability for families, and budget analysts warn that raising rates further without addressing efficiency and outcomes could deepen outflows, as reported by FingerLakes1. Current debates in Albany include proposals to retool taxes, trim spending or target relief to households seen as most at risk of leaving, with the fiscal stakes described as significant: persistent net losses of filers add up to meaningful revenue shifts over time.
For residents and officials, the new dashboard puts concrete numbers on a trend that will shape school rolls, local budgets and the kinds of jobs New York attracts in the years ahead, as News10 also reported. Whether New York turns the tide may come down to narrowing the gap between what people pay and the value they feel they get from public services.
