While most people in Orange County have no intention of leaving the area, about three in ten county residents plan on moving out of the area in the next five years. This compares with 29% of residents in the Mid-Hudson region as a whole who intend to relocate in the near future.
There are differences based on age and income. Both young people and those living in lower income households are more inclined to leave. More than a third of all Orange County adults forty-five or younger intend to leave the region in the near future compared with 28% of adults age forty-five or older. Nearly four in ten residents of Orange County with household incomes of less than $50,000 a year intend to move someplace else in the next five years compared with 29% of residents in households with a higher household income.
There are quite a few different reasons why Orange County residents intend to leave the area. 56% of county residents thinking about relocating mention non-economic reasons and the remainder, 44%, plan to do so because of economic reasons.
Orange County residents are less likely to plan to leave the area for economic reasons than the average Mid-Hudson Valley resident. For example, 8% mention they may leave because the area is overcrowded. The same proportion will leave because of retirement and another 8% mention it is a time for a change. Still, two of the top three reasons for leaving the region among Orange County residents are economic.
The cost of living and the tax burden are the top reasons voiced by Orange County residents who are planning to move away. 17% of residents planning to relocate cite the cost of living, and 17% point to taxes.
