Nolte: Blue States Lose Population, Red States Gain Population

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Americans are again voting with their feet, which means the deep blue states of Illinois, California, and New York posted the top three population losses in 2023, while the red states of Texas, Florida, and North Carolina were the top three population gainers.

Yes, yes, I am well aware my current home state of North Carolina has a Democrat governor. However, Republicans control the State Senate and House. In fact, Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority in the House. Here in The NC, we are governed by the GOP.

When you compare 2022 state populations to 2023 state populations, New York posted a net population loss of 101,984 souls. California lost 75,423. Illinois lost 32,826.

Ah, but where Normal Americans live, the population boomed. Texas picked up 473,453 new residents. Florida gained 365,205. North Carolina netted another 139,526.

Additionally, Illinois, the bluest state in its geographic area, was an outlier. The nearby states of Michigan (+3,980), Iowa (+7,311), Kentucky (+14,591), Missouri (+18,988), Wisconsin (+20,412), and Indiana (+29,925) gained residents. All six of those states are slightly redder than Illinois. Hell, Moscow is redder than Illinois.

Of the eight states that lost population, only two were red: West Virginia — which seems nuts; West Virginia is gorgeous — and Louisiana. Of all the losers, West Virginia lost the fewest. Here’s the full list of losers:

  • West Virginia: -3,964
  • Hawaii: -4,261
  • Oregon: -6,021
  • Pennsylvania: -10,408
  • Louisiana: -14,274
  • Illinois: -32,826
  • California: -75,423
  • New York: -101,984

Things are even starker when you reach all the way back to 2020 — the year America suffered through the coronavirus, anti-science lockdowns, and mobs of Democrats in Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioting, looting, burning, and rampaging through a countless number of Democrat-run cities. Since 2020, deep-blue Illinois and purplish-to-blue Michigan have lost 240,668 and 33,366 souls, respectively. Meanwhile, the slightly redder to much redder states of Iowa (+14,255), Kentucky (+16,100), Missouri (+17,999), Wisconsin (+41,730), and Indiana (+73,101) all increased their populations.

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These devastating numbers and what they mean politically are why the left is gearing up to blame this migration from blue states on … … … you guessed it: a unicorn called Climate Change!

You see, fool, people aren’t leaving Blue America because of high taxes, no housing, no jobs, violent crime, and increasing restrictions on freedom… No, no, it’s the unicorn of Climate Change that’s the culprit. What else could it be? And that means that these states are losing population because there’s not enough socialism. If we had more socialism, more people would move to blue cities and states. 

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Get a FREE FREE FREE autographed bookplate if you purchase John Nolte’s debut novel, Borrowed Time (Bombardier Books) in December. After your purchase, email JJMNOLTE at HOTMAIL dot COM with your address and any personalization requests. A new hardcover edition has just become available.

Borrowed Time soothed my aching heart in many ways. It made me think about the things that really matter in life and the things that don’t. It made me think about true love, about finding one person to spend your life with—something that has always eluded me. And it made me think about death, about why we need to believe there is a hereafter because, without it, life becomes unbearable.” —Sasha Stone, Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning.

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