New York continues to see a decline in population, with people leaving the state in large numbers for a variety of reasons.

According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, New York lost more than 100,000 residents between July 2022 and July 2023. That’s the largest decrease of any state.

Heather Radzikowski was Buffalo born and raised — but she always felt like she belonged somewhere else.

"It’s been my dream to move down to Florida ever since I’ve been a little girl," she said. 

As it often does, life got in the way of those plans as Radzikowski raised her younger sibling after she turned 18.

But after many trips there over the years, she recently made the move to live on the Florida Gulf Coast.

"It always felt like paradise compared to Buffalo as far as the environment went," said Radzikowski.

After braving Western New York winters all her life, Heather’s number one reason for leaving New York for the Sunshine State: the weather. 

"There’s nothing like waking up in the morning, having to wake up super early to warm up your car, pick the ice off," she said. "[I’m] not a morning person so starting off my day shoveling; warming up my car; being freezing — it just put me in a weird mental place."

As a mental health social worker, she’s been quickly able to find work in Florida, where the lack of state income tax was another big draw compared to New York — which had the highest taxes in the nation in 2021, according to the Citizens Budget Commission.

"I wanted to sit down and kind of crunch numbers, budget [and] look into things," Radzikowski said. "And the way that the taxes are, you bring home a lot more in your paycheck than you would in New York."

A December report from New York State Comptroller’s Office found a spike in taxpayers leaving the state during the pandemic, with the largest numbers from New York City. While the statewide decline has slowed, more people are still exiting than moving in — a cause for fiscal concern, since the personal income tax is the state’s largest revenue source. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul in her State of the State address said one of the biggest causes for people leaving New York is the lack of affordable housing. She’s proposed 15,000 new housing units on state-owned property. State Republicans have blamed high taxes and a poor business climate.

Although Radzikowski was initially concerned about the political climate in Florida, the move away will likely be a permanent one.

"I have a lot of people that I love in Buffalo and that I miss, but I’m hoping that between them visiting me and me visiting them I can keep those relationships maintained," she said. "Honestly, I don’t know that I can ever see myself going back now that I’m here.”