Maryland looking to be competitive to avoid residents from leaving to neighboring states

MARYLAND. – State officials telling WMDT that Maryland is losing residents year in and year out to neighboring states. According to the 2025 report from the Maryland Comptroller Office, about 40,000 residents have left the state. That is due to high housing costs and high taxation.

Over the period of 2010 and 2023, 2.3 million people moved to neighboring states.

Delegate Wayne Hartman talking about the issue in an exclusive interview. “Maryland is losing people at an alarming rate, it’s just not seen as affordable and a place where people want to continue living, we need to turn that around.”

With many Marylanders moving to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas often seeking lower costs of living.  Senator Johnny Mautz suggests the state needs to put more investment into small businesses.

“We do get some major manufacturers and larger employers, but the bulk of our economy is driven by small independent businesses.”

The 2025 report from the Comptroller suggests older wealthier residents were originally leaving, but now more lower and middle-income residents are leaving as well due to high costs.

Delegate Sheree Sample Hughes believes the state needs to work with its residents. “Maryland as a whole, we need to be vigorous about getting industries here that will stay.”

She adds that they need to be mindful of regulations that are imposed to not force people out. “We can’t place regulations on them in those industries and think they will be able to grow or think they would stay in Maryland.”

Delegate Sample-Hughes focusing on industries here on the Eastern Shore.”The point is, when we have specific resources, like our watermen in our area in particular, we want to build off of those, and work with them to make it a stronger seafood industry.”

Comptroller Brooke Lierman says this migration negatively impacts the state’s labor market, economic output, and tax revenues.