With nearly its 30 million residents, Texas is the second-largest state. It has experienced rapid growth for the past two decades. Its major cities, including Houston and Dallas, have consistently ranked among the largest in the United States for over 30 years. San Antonio and Austin have now joined those ranks. However, despite its previous allure, Texas has lost some of its advantages and was recently dubbed the worst state to live in, prompting many residents to consider moving elsewhere. (Where people from Texas are moving to the most.)

Reasons to Leave Texas

People may want to leave because of increased crowding in the largest cities and an environment that has made them barely habitable in the hottest times of the year. Austin had a population of 1.2 million in 2000. That figure nearly doubled to 2.3 million in 2020, according to the Census Bureau. Austin’s infrastructure has been overwhelmed. A reporter for The New Yorker recently wrote, “Austin is now characterized by stifling traffic and unaffordable restaurants.” Home prices in Austin have skyrocketed and become among the country’s most expensive. (See the fastest-growing local economy in each state.)

Another challenge Texas presents is that the summer temperatures can rise above 100°F for several days in a row. NBC recently reported, “Blistering triple-digit temperatures across Texas … have the state rivaling the hottest locations on the planet, including the Sahara Desert and parts of the Persian Gulf.” Due to climate change, this will not get better. Rather, it may get much worse.

Recently, USA Today ranked Texas as the worst state to live in. Among the reasons the newspaper gave were crime rates, the quality of the environment, the health care system, whether people had access to good childcare, and “inclusiveness in state laws such as reproductive rights, protections against discrimination and voting rights.”

Furthermore, CNBC recently named Texas the worst place to work and live in. Among the reasons, the analysis said, were health care and crime.

The migration to Texas could soon become an exodus. And there are powerful reasons people should get out now.

Also read: where people from Texas are moving the most.

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