They always lead with the big number to get the clicks, and then follow up with anecdotes to feed narratives. It’s understandable, but we would be better off looking at who is leaving from a demographic perspective. Is it mostly older retirees who’s plans to move were accelerated due to pandemic shifts? Is it families? And if so what income levels, millionaires or low income? Do these emigrants from mass different from historical trend in ways other than volume?

Shoot we are really talking about net population change, it could be mass (and other states) regularly ‘lose’ thousands of people of year but inflow Keeps the total population the same. It could be really what we are experiencing is a reduction in people coming to the state anew, but we won’t know because the Globe just cared about the top line number.