New data from the Seattle Times shows the number of people leaving Washington state has jumped, and it lands at the worst possible moment for Democrats who just passed a sweeping new income tax on top earners while still defending a capital gains tax that critics say lit the fuse on this exodus years ago.
The figures, drawn from Washington Department of Licensing data, track driver’s licenses surrendered by residents leaving the state. The trend is moving in the wrong direction. Net migration to Washington dropped by 7,500 people compared to the previous year, according to the state’s own Office of Financial Management, as more residents packed up and headed for tax-friendlier ground. Domestic in-migration is down 18 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, while the departing class is increasingly the kind of high-income earner Democrats are counting on to fund their spending agenda.
