5 States You Should Avoid Relocating To If Trump Wins in November

In any presidential election, different states are impacted in different ways depending on the winner. That will hold true in the 2024 presidential election as well. Some states will likely get an economic lift if former President Donald Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris.

But others could take an economic hit. Here are five states that could be negatively impacted by a Trump win, meaning you should avoid relocating to them.

California is the most populous state in the country by a wide margin and one of the most progressive, so it has become a favorite target of the political right. Should Trump win in November, it likely would not be good news for several sectors of the California economy.

For example, the Golden State has been a national leader in embracing the green economy, encouraging electric vehicle use and restricting carbon emissions. Trump has threatened to end many of the Biden administration policies that aim to boost the green economy, which would be a negative for California.

California also ranks first in the nation in the number of federal civilian employees, according to U.S. News. If Trump wins a second terms and makes good on his promise to slash the federal government, many of those jobs might go away. In addition, California’s standing as a leading labor union state could make it a target of anti-union policies under a Trump administration.

Meanwhile, the Golden State has been hit especially hard by inflation in recent years, according to an analysis from National Business Capital. Many economists fear that Trump’s proposals to impose steep tariffs on imported goods will only push inflation back up again, which would hurt some states (including California) more than others.

“I think there is a real risk that inflation will reaccelerate under a Trump presidency,” Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group, told The Wall Street Journal.

The Peach State is similar to California in that it has been hit hard by inflation in recent years. Georgia has also become a national leader in green economy growth and ranks high in the number of federal civilian jobs. Some experts believe Georgia could get a big boost from a Harris presidency, which means another Trump term could have the opposite effect.

Georgia could see economic growth from Harris’s focus on healthcare expansion and infrastructure development,” Ryan Waite, vice president of public affairs at Think Big, told GBR in an earlier interview.

“With policies aimed at expanding Medicaid and investing in rural healthcare, Georgia’s healthcare sector could see a boost, particularly in underserved areas… Additionally, infrastructure investments would improve transportation and logistics networks, supporting economic development across the state,” Waite suggested.

A study from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy found that New York ranks high in the acceleration of electric vehicles, energy efficiency, energy storage and green consultancy — all of which are green economy areas that could stall under a Trump presidency.

New York is also among the states that would suffer the most from Trump policies to trim the federal government, oppose labor unions and impose tariffs that could lead to higher inflation.

Although Pennsylvania stands to gain from Trump’s promises to boost the natural gas and coal industries, there are a couple of potential negatives should he win a second term. The Keystone State ranks in the top three in the nation in adding green economy jobs, according to data cited by Intelletec Energy.

In addition, Pennsylvania ranks in the Top 10 states in the number of federal civilian jobs.

Virginia is a mostly blue state that shares many of the same characteristics as solid-blue California and New York — including a large number of federal government employees and a growing green economy. A Trump presidency could have a negative impact in both of those areas.

Editor’s note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. For more coverage on this topic, please check out 4 States You Should Think Twice About Relocating to If Kamala Harris Wins.