Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is learning the ropes as a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
Tucker Carlson has called for an invasion of Canada to liberate America’s northern neighbors from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but it turns out that Canadians are liberating themselves and invading the US in droves.
Well, they aren’t invading, but they are emigrating at a rate not seen in years.
According to the US Census Bureau, the number of people moving from Canada to the US hit 126,340 in 2022. That's an increase of nearly70% over the 75,752 people who made the move in 2012.
Tens of thousands of Canadians are moving south of the 49th parallel because of sky-high housing costs. The benchmark home price in Canada has more than doubled over the past decade to $755,000 and has become increasingly detached from earnings. Across 10 large cities, mortgage payments eat up about 59% of household earnings, according to the National Bank of Canada. Meanwhile, in the US, the average house costs $424,552.
A significant portion of others report moving for love, work, warmer weather, or lower taxes in states like Florida and Arizona. Wages are often a lot higher in the US, especially for in-demand professions like information technology and health care.
Canadians’ biggest complaint upon arrival? The politics. Followed by the dearth of public healthcare.