- Texas residents are moving to New Mexico by the thousands, Census data shows.
- Some people cited the high property taxes in Texas as a reason for their exit.
- But despite the exodus, Texas still leads the nation in population growth.
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the property taxes.
Texas residents are fleeing the state in droves and heading for New Mexico, according to 2022 US Census data.
Just shy of 17,000 people moved from Texas to New Mexico between 2021 and 2022, according to US Census data, making Texas the primary state of origin for people moving to The Land of Enchantment.
Don and Patti Crook were among those who moved, citing the high property taxes in Texas as one of their reasons for leaving The Lone Star State.
"People are getting priced out of their homes due to super high property taxes," Don Crook told the Albuquerque Journal.
The average property tax rate in Texas is 1.63% — the seventh highest in the nation, according to Houston's ABC News affiliate ABC13. Meanwhile, New Mexico's effective real estate tax rate is 0.74%, local Albuquerque affiliate KRQE reported.
Texans generally have higher property taxes, although they are partially offset by the lack of a state income tax and the moderate median home values.
"New Mexico just has more of that family feel to it," Greg Brown, who moved to the state after living in Texas for 35 years, told the Albuquerque Journal. "New Mexico is the Texas that I grew up with."
That said, Texas still has plenty of newcomers of its own, leading the nation in population growth, Business Insider previously reported. Many of them are unmarried millennial renters, so property taxes may not be top of mind for them.