Leaving America: 6 Reasons Americans are Leaving the U.S.
The Ugly Truth: Why so many are leaving America
Recently, several major publications have published articles on why Americans are leaving America to move abroad to places like Europe, Asia, South America, hell even Canada. Some of these articles have even gone so far as to reach out to said Americans for their stories and then misrepresent their words in articles that shame them for their choices.
Some articles boast about how countries like Portugal are luring Americans away due to their lower costs of living, great weather, and the coveted Golden Visa Program. Others blame Americans for snatching up cheap real estate and pushing locals out. And many focus on where Americans can retire with a low cost of living so that their retirement savings will last longer.
But you want to know the truth about why Americans are leaving the U.S.? Buckle up, because it's about to get ugly.
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1. The Healthcare System in the U.S. is Broken
It’s a sad state when a country’s people are scared to get sick for fear of either not being able to afford treatment or going broke trying. The truth is, healthcare in the U.S. is mediocre, costs too much, and is too reliant on money to really be able to care for the people it’s supposed to serve.
Americans are leaving the U.S.
in search of universal healthcare, affordable healthcare, better healthcare, and systems that put patients’ well-being first, not the bottom line.
A staggering 46 million people—nearly one-fifth of all Americans—cannot afford necessary healthcare services, according to a new survey conducted by West Health and Gallup.
2. Gun Control in the U.S. is a Joke
At the time of writing—May 31, 2022—only one week after the horrific mass murder of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, my home state, news outlets were reporting more than a dozen mass shootings over Memorial Day weekend.
In fact, there were 14 mass shootings—where at least four or more people were shot and/or killed—over the long holiday weekend across the U.S. Fourteen. In one weekend. After a string of highly publicized mass shootings targeting people of color, children, and students. Fourteen. I just don’t understand. That there are still people who don’t support gun reform in the U.S. baffles me. And I’m not the only one.
After the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Facebook groups were buzzing with many, many families saying that this was the last straw. They had to escape. And the sooner the better. It’s clear that the policymakers don’t care about our children. They only care about their guns and their money. And the two go hand in hand. The gun lobby is in every 2nd-amendment-loving Republican’s pocket. And sadly, that is why American parents and teachers have to teach their children and students to defend themselves against the sick people who bring their too-easy-to-get assault rifles to schools to kill kids.
The government would rather traumatize our future generations with “active shooter drills” than take responsibility for them and protect them.. F*ck, if it was up to me I’d take all the guns and throw them in the ocean. But I’d settle for common-sense gun reform.
Americans are leaving the U.S.
to escape the insanity of continuing to allow our kids, family members, and friends to be killed. Continuing to allow guns into the wrong hands. Continuing to allow military-grade high-powered assault rifles to be sold to civilians. Continuing to value money over life.
Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded.
— CDC
3. Work/Life Balance in the U.S. is Non-Existent
Eighty-hour weeks, side hustles, vacation days you’re shamed for using. The work culture in the U.S. is toxic and everyone knows it. As a mother, I experienced the burnout that comes with trying to juggle being a parent and a full-time career woman. It’s not only exhausting trying to do everything and take care of everyone, but, in the end, nothing gets done well and no one is taken care of like they should be, especially you.
When the culture dictates that the later you stay the better you are at your job…
When you only get two weeks of vacation pay AND then you’re punished for actually taking them…
When leaving at a decent time so that you can pick your children up from school makes you a “bad little worker”…
When you have to have three jobs just to pay the rent, and heaven forbid you have a medical emergency…
When you eat lunch at your desk while you continue to work because you have a doctor’s appointment and need to leave 15 minutes early…
None of this is normal outside of the U.S. And why should it be. People should be able to be good at their jobs and go home in time to spend quality time with their kids. They should be able to take a vacation so that they come back rested and restored and ready to kick ass again. They shouldn’t have to work day and night to make sure their family gets enough to eat or has the luxury of seeing a dentist.
Americans are leaving the U.S.
so they can work AND live. Not live to work. Not work to live.
The U.S. tops the list in terms of yearly hours worked and falls significantly behind other countries when looking at efforts to improve work-life balance.
4. The Political and Social Divide in the U.S. is Toxic
As one can imagine, as a Florida-born Texan turned New Yorker, I don’t really see eye to eye with a lot of the people I grew up around. After moving to New York, this didn’t seem to cause many issues when I went back to visit friends and family in Texas and Florida. But during the Trump administration, the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the social injustices highlighted by the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, I learned just how divided this country is and continues to be.
There’s a reason I left small-town Texas for the big city lights of Chicago, London, Berlin, and New York. At the time, I just called myself a city girl. But now that I’ve had time to reflect, I think deep down I knew I couldn’t continue to live in a place that had such opposite values as I. I’m all for educated debate and hearing and trying to understand someone else’s beliefs and values, but these events didn’t spur a lot of educated debate in my life. There was a lot of hatred. Of the groups being targeted. Of the people supporting those groups. Of anyone who went against their beliefs. There was just so much hatred. And I couldn’t fathom how a country can heal itself from that.
It’s evidenced now, by the abolition of women’s rights and other injustices running rampant around the country. Lack of gun reform. Refusal of the parties to work together to do what is right for the country and its people instead of what is going to line their pockets the most. I am not so naive that I think other political systems are not corrupt, but what I will say is that I lost hope for American politics during the Trump administration. Never before had I seen so much ugliness prevail and so many people hurt by that ugliness.
Americans are leaving the U.S.
to escape the political, social, and civil injustices that go unchecked year after year after year to look for tolerant and progressive cultures where they can be themselves without the threat of persecution.
The U.S. stands out for the degree of divisiveness that afflicts it. When the nonpartisan Pew Research Center recently surveyed people in 17 countries in Europe, Asia and North America, Americans were the most likely to say their society was split along partisan, racial, and ethnic lines. The U.S. also reported more religious division than almost any other country surveyed.
The U.S. was also one of five countries in which more than half the public said their fellow citizens can’t agree on basic facts.
5. The Student Debt Crisis in the U.S. is Crippling
As the first person in my family to graduate from college, and as someone who grew up on government assistance and working for everything I have, I’ve had a first-hand view of how challenging it can be to get to the end of the student debt-free rainbow.
Rising costs of education make it near impossible for many families and/or students to afford without taking out student loans. According to Forbes, in 2022, more than half of students who graduate from a four-year college have student loan debt, and the average amount of debt per borrower was up to $28,950. And with the average annual salary for a recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree of $64,900, on average, it takes borrowers 20 years to pay off their loans.
Children should be able to get an education, pursue their dreams, better their lives, and not be burdened with crippling debt for the next 20-45 years!
Americans are leaving the U.S.
so they can give their kids and themselves education opportunities that won’t break the bank until retirement.
Some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans.
Renovating Life contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Links like this allow us to continue providing top-quality content at no cost to you.
Source: HowMuch.net, a financial literacy website
6. The Real Estate Market in the U.S. is Unrealistic
The pre-pandemic housing market was tough enough, but the pandemic has made it a doozy. Great if you’re sitting on a nice property and ready to sell. Not great if you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy. It’s part of the American dream, right? Buy a house with a yard and a pool, blah blah blah. But what happens when the prices soar and the inventory dives? Spoiler alert: it’s not good.
According to the St. Louis Fed, median prices for U.S. houses shot up from just over $100k since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. Even after accounting for inflation, houses were, on average, $68k more expensive than just before the pandemic.
With over two million more homebuyers at the end of 2020 than at the end of 2019, competition is stiff and the prices are high. Realizing the American dream of homeownership has reached new levels of difficulty.
Americans are leaving the U.S.
in search of more affordable housing, less volatile housing markets, and new lands to find their dream homes.
As home sales have boomed, active housing listings have dropped and the median home sale price has surged, according to data from the Federal Reserve.
My reasons for sharing this post weren’t to alienate anyone, or even to call anyone out. In light of the recent articles about why Americans are leaving the U.S., I wanted to share some of the reasons that either get glossed over or ignored in favor of Portugal’s famous sunnier weather, lower cost of living, and tax breaks. Feel free to click here if you’re interested in the many reasons we moved to Portugal—what we ran TO rather than what we ran FROM.
Yes, many times things like nicer weather and financial advantages play a part in a person’s reason for leaving the U.S. for a life abroad, but what doesn’t get talked about enough, in my opinion, are the things many of us are running from. My family moved to Portugal last year, and while we do love many, many, many things Portugal has to offer that the U.S. does not, as much as those things enticed us, we were running away from the parts of America that scared us and running toward a better life.
More information on how to move to Portugal on a D7 visa, the NEW Portugal Digital Nomad Visa, or through the Portugal Golden Visa Program
More information about life in Portugal
More resources for moving abroad
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