Boston Loses Young Workers to Austin as Housing Costs Diverge

Texas has become one of the leading destinations for people leaving Massachusetts, with young residents departing at a particularly fast clip, according to a Boston Globe report published on October 15 that drew on IRS data.

The Globe followed Armando Bisono, 23, and his roommate, Marino Ginebra, who relocated from Boston to Austin in September 2026 and kept their jobs by transferring within their companies. Bisono said his rent in a high-rise building is $500 a month lower than what he paid for a studio in South Boston, and the pair received 10 weeks free in their building.

Employment in the Austin metro area has risen 44% since January 2016, against 8% in Boston, the Globe reported, with gains in technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. Austin added housing faster than any other large U.S. city between 2015 and 2024, said Alex Horowitz, a Pew researcher, who contrasted that record with Boston's. Austin has scrapped parking minimums citywide, eased construction of accessory dwelling units and offers incentives rather than mandates for affordable units.

Natera, a biotech that moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, has 300,000 square feet of offices and labs there. Chief financial officer Mike Brophy said the company would not hire hourly lab workers in Boston because of housing costs. Median household income is $94,000 in Austin and $97,000 in Boston, per Census data.

This story was first reported by The Boston Globe.