{"id":2579864,"date":"2026-03-14T12:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T16:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-states-offer-low-housing-prices-as-yet-another-draw-for-families\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T12:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T16:39:59","slug":"red-states-offer-low-housing-prices-as-yet-another-draw-for-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-states-offer-low-housing-prices-as-yet-another-draw-for-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Red States Offer Low Housing Prices as Yet Another Draw for Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fred-states-offer-low-housing-prices-as-yet-another-draw-for-families%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579864&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A report from the Institute for Family Studies argues that after the COVID-19 period, blue states have been losing families and children at a faster rate than red states. Between 2019 and 2024, blue states saw a 4.7% decline in children aged 0-9 and a 4.4% drop in people aged 20-29, whereas red states experienced smaller declines of about 1.2% for young children and 0.2% for young adults. The study identifies housing affordability as a major driver, noting that states with cheaper housing relative to income tend to attract and retain parents of young children. Some exceptions exist, such as Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma, which saw fewer kids even as their overall populations grew. The report urges red states to focus on affordable housing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/june-jobs-market-report-looms-as-recession-fears-flare\/\" title=\"June Jobs Market ... Looms as Recession Fears Flare\">solid job growth<\/a>, and centrist governance to remain attractive to families, suggesting that those that do so may fare better as the post\u2011COVID \u201cbaby cohort\u201d ages.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Many blue states have policies that are not exactly friendly to families and children.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond constant threats to parental rights, high taxes and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >difficult business formation make<\/a> it harder for young families to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/under-trump-americans-have-seen-their-best-wage-growth-in-40-years\/\" title=\"Under Trump, Americans Have Seen Their Best Wage Growth In 40 Years\">make ends meet<\/a> in blue America.<\/p>\n<p>But another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-analyst-trump-is-right-to-point-out-2020-census-errors-disproportionately-favored-blue-states\/\" title=\"CNN Analyst: Trump is Right to Point Out 2020 Census &#039;Errors&#039; Disproportionately Favored ...\">advantage red states<\/a> have over blue states is more affordable housing.<\/p>\n<p>A new <a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/red-states-are-gaining-babies-in-the-post-covid-shuffle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>&nbsp;from the Institute for Family Studies found that blue states are &ldquo;losing kids&rdquo; as 20-somethings move elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>While states that voted for President Donald Trump and states that cast their ballots for now-former Vice President Kamala Harris alike have growing s of residents who are 60 or over, the latter are losing young people and children much faster.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return; 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The report said that between 2019 and 2024 &mdash; the &ldquo;Great Sort&rdquo; period after COVID &mdash; the blue state population of children between 0 and 9 decreased by 4.7 percent as the population of young adults between 20 and 29 likewise fell 4.4 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Compare that to a 1.2 percent decline for young children and a 0.2 percent drop for young adults in red states over the same time horizon.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Family Studies pointed to housing as a major cause for the trends.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Using the median mortgage cost relative to median income as a rough proxy for affordability, we can see that states with cheaper housing tend to have better luck attracting or keeping parents of young children,&rdquo; the conservative think tank described.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">What happened to all the COVID babies?<\/p>\n<p>Population-rich blue states, California, New York, Illinois, ended up with fewer married couples with young kids<\/p>\n<p>Idaho, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia ended the last half-decade with 10% more married&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vv2tfy0SDz\">pic.twitter.com\/Vv2tfy0SDz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Institute for Family Studies (@FamStudies) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FamStudies\/status\/2027097093392007435?\">February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The majority of these states are, politically, red.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The report included a comparison between median mortgage as a  of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-shows-growing-democratic-opposition-to-cheap-labor-migration\/\" title=\"Poll Shows Growing Democratic Opposition to Cheap Labor Migration\">median household income<\/a> and the five-year changes in children under 6 years old.<\/p>\n<p>Sure enough, the states with the lowest relative mortgage costs and the highest relative increases in numbers of young children tended to be red states.<\/p>\n<p>There are some exceptions &mdash; such as Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma, which saw fewer kids even as their populations grew &mdash; but for the most part &ldquo;blue states are expensive and losing families.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The report reminded red states &ldquo;to not rest on their laurels&rdquo; by prioritizing affordability for families.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Fertility and marriage rates are likely to continue to decline. For states that want to remain attractive to families, it will be vital to focus on keeping the fundamentals of good governance strong &mdash; making housing more affordable, attracting and creating solid job growth, and keeping an eye on the political center rather than veering to either extreme,&rdquo; it said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The states that manage to do this the best will be the winners &mdash; especially once the COVID babies hit middle school.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blue states often have policies that aren\u2019t very friendly to families-from parental-rights tensions to higher taxes and tougher conditions for starting a business-which, along with costly housing, makes it harder for young families to get by. By contrast, red states tend to offer more affordable housing. A new report from the Institute for Family Studies shows blue states are losing young people: between 2019 and 2024, the share of children aged 0-9 in blue states fell by about 4.7%, and the number of residents aged 20-29 declined by around 4.4%. In red states, declines were much smaller, with young children down about 1.2% and young adults down only about 0.2%.<\/p>\n<p>The study points to housing costs as a major driver of these trends. Using the ratio of median mortgage cost to median income as a rough affordability measure, states with cheaper housing tend to attract or retain more parents of young children. Most of the states trending toward fewer kids are politically red, yet there are exceptions-some states like Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma saw fewer children even as their populations grew. Overall, the report argues that blue states are expensive and losing families, while red states that improve affordability have a better chance of keeping younger families.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute urges red states not to rest on their laurels, emphasizing the need to keep housing affordable, foster solid job growth, and maintain sound governance. They suggest states that manage these fundamentals well are likelier to remain attractive to families, especially as the cohort of \u201cCOVID babies\u201d moves into middle school<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2579865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-793.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[18297,5401,4344,10283,74019],"class_list":["post-2579864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-affordability","tag-families","tag-housing","tag-migration","tag-red-states-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-793.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579864"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2579868,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579864\/revisions\/2579868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2579865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}