South Carolina Gains Fastest Growth as Red States And Blue States Shift

South Carolina grew faster than any other state from 2022 to 2023 as red states and blue states kept pulling residents in different directions. The Palmetto State added more than 59,000 residents from other states, according to new IRS migration data. That surge also brought more than 29,000 new tax filers and roughly $4.1 billion in income.

South Carolina and the IRS data

South Carolina saw the biggest influx per capita of new residents from other states, equal to just over 1% of its population. Texas and Florida still drew the largest number of new residents overall, with Texas leading the nation in 2023 with 56,473 new tax filers and Florida with 55,349.

Steve Moore, founder of Unleash Prosperity and a former Trump administration economic advisor, said the group launched a billboard campaign in New York and New Jersey as both states were losing residents and their incomes. He said the campaign targeted states that were seeing population and income leave at the same time.

California and New York losses

The same IRS data showed California lost more than 100,000 tax filers from 2022 to 2023 and nearly $12 billion in income. New York lost nearly 72,000 tax filers over the same period and about $10 billion in income.

Those losses help explain why South Carolina’s numbers stand out. The state did not just attract more people; it also gained income from the migration flow, while the biggest losses clustered in California and New York.

Texas, Florida, and the South

Texas and Florida remained the biggest magnets in absolute terms because both states are much larger by size and population. South Carolina’s growth rate, however, outpaced every other state in the 2022 to 2023 data.

For people watching where residents and income are moving, the practical takeaway is simple: the South kept gaining ground, but the largest states still drew the most movers. That leaves South Carolina with the strongest growth rate in the latest IRS figures and Texas and Florida with the biggest totals.