Majority of Maryland residents have considered leaving the state, poll finds

The University of Maryland Baltimore County continues to drop new results from its recent poll of Maryland residents, and the hits just keep on coming for the state's struggling and inept elected officials. Yesterday's release showed that a majority of the residents polled have considered moving out of Maryland to another state within the past year. A full 53% said, yes, they have considered leaving Maryland in the next few years.

Montgomery County has seen a flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region this century, and those expats have taken millions of dollars in tax revenue with them. There were no longer enough high-end shoppers to sustain the stretch of Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights that was once touted as "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive," leaving behind rows of empty storefronts. Maryland experienced a similar exodus after passing its "Millionaires' Tax" in 2012, only to find that 1000 millionaires had fled the state just two years later.

54% who were interviewed by UMBC said Maryland is a "poor or fair" place to start a business. That's not surprising, given that 67% of respondents also agreed that the state's economy is moribund. 

Maryland not only has gained a terrible reputation as an anti-business state internationally, but is increasingly seen by aging residents as a terrible place to retire, as well. The largest group of respondents, 37%, said Maryland is a "poor" state to retire in. 64% concluded that Maryland is a "poor or fair" retirement destination. Again, not very surprising, as increasing numbers of retirees leave Maryland behind for Delaware or Florida.

Almost half of those polled said Maryland is a "poor or fair" state to seek a K-12 education in. That's quite a drop from two decades ago, when Maryland's schools were seen as among the best in the nation. Only 11% believe Maryland is an "excellent" place to find a job. Well, you can't blame them: most of the jobs that give Montgomery County and Maryland low unemployment rates are actually located in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.