(The Center Square) – Washington state essentially broke even in terms of inflow and outflow of people, according to Internal Revenue Service migration data released Thursday.
Federal tax forms filed in 2021 show Washington welcomed 203,562 taxpayers and dependents who had previously filed as living in another state. Conversely, 217,696 Washingtonians went elsewhere. That translates into 14,407 more people leaving the Evergreen State than coming into it.
While Washington saw a slight net loss in population, it gained some $200 million in adjusted gross income, according to the new IRS data. That’s because the outflow of people from Washington represented more than $11 billion in adjusted gross income, while the inflow of people to the state represented $11.2 billion in adjusted gross income.
Most of Washington’s incoming taxpayers were from California. The data show 46,667 taxpayers and their dependents moved from California to Washington in that year, bringing along with them more than $3.75 billion in adjusted gross income.
Nearly 28,000 Washingtonians did the opposite in moving to California, the most common destination for those leaving the state, and taking a little more than $1.74 billion in adjusted gross income with them.
Overall, so-called “red states” won the battle for the hearts and homes of moving taxpayers. Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, and Tennessee gained the most net residents. California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Louisiana lost the most residents.