Massachusetts is Worst in New England

With U-Haul’s release of its 2026 Growth Index Report, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is warning that Massachusetts’ continued placement near the bottom of the U-Haul Growth Index is yet another sign that Beacon Hill’s policy direction is driving residents away. The Commonwealth’s ranking of 46th in the nation for population growth, alongside states like New York, New Jersey, and California, reflects a broader pattern of high taxes, rising housing costs, and burdensome NetZero climate mandates that make it harder for families and employers to stay. Notably, Massachusetts ranked dead last in New England, trailing every neighboring state, including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the top three states in the national ranking, which are also states that are attracting Massachusetts taxpayers and businesses.

“For years, state leaders have dismissed out-migration as anecdotal or temporary. This data tells a very different story. When people are voting with their feet year after year, it’s not because of the weather. It’s because Massachusetts has become too expensive, too rigid, and too hostile to growth. Instead of our State House leaders changing course, they would rather ignore the results of their policies and expect a different result,” said Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

The U-Haul data for the top five states include three states that do not have a state income tax rate. Of the country’s nine states that do not have an income tax, all nine improved their standings since last year. States that embrace a no income tax rate, attract taxpayers.

“Beacon Hill keeps doubling down on policies that raise the cost of living and doing business, then acts surprised when people leave. Governor Maura Healey, Speaker Ron Mariano, and Senate President Karen Spilka need to change course. The rigid NetZero by 2050 climate mandate is not working and it’s not realistic. The millionaire’s tax is driving people away. Both of these policies need to be repealed if we ever want to be a state that competes again. Until the Governor and lawmakers confront the consequences of their own decisions, Massachusetts will continue to fall behind states that actually compete for residents and jobs,” noted Craney.