Blue States Versus Red States: Americans Vote with Their Feet

Much has been written about the economic and social superiority, or inferiority, of red states (those voting for Bush in the 2004 elections) measured against blue states (those voting for Kerry in the 2004 elections). However, American citizens have voted a resounding “yes” to the red states and “no” to blue states as they move to areas they judge as more desirable and economically viable. For example between 2000 and 2004, red states attracted a net of 1.8 million domestic migrants for a population gain of 1.2%. During this same time period, blue states actually lost 1.7 million residents to domestic migration for a loss of 1.3% of their population. Thus, American residents, in terms of their living preferences, demonstrated a penchant for red states between 2000 and 2004. This population shift, which shows no evidence of relenting, poses a serious challenge for the next Democratic presidential candidate.
(source of data: U.S. Census: http://www.census.gov/popest/datasets.html )