People respond to incentives, part I've-lost-count

"Tax refugees staging escape from New York". 1.5 million from 2000 to 2008. "More than 250,000" left for Florida; they were problably "escap[ing]" into retirement.

But the outflow is still impressive and this is rather ominous sounding for New York's fiscal future: ". . . the families fleeing New York are being replaced by lower-income newcomers, who consequently pay less in taxes."