Six in 10 affluent Americans say they would consider leaving the United States within the next five years — a striking signal of eroding confidence at the very top of the income ladder.
That’s the headline finding from a new survey of 1,733 Americans with household incomes above $200,000, conducted in May 2026 by Apex Capital Partners, a wealth management firm that specializes in second citizenship and overseas investment programs. The results paint a picture of a wealthy class increasingly eyeing the exits, not out of hardship, but out of strategic calculation.
The finding arrives as the U.S. recorded net negative migration in 2025—more people leaving than arriving—for the first time in roughly 90 years, a trend that aligned exactly with Clooney’s foreign adventures. The Apex survey suggests the wealthy aren’t observers of that shift. They’re driving it.
Cost, not just culture wars
For years, the narrative around Americans moving abroad centered on political disillusionment. But the data tells a more nuanced story. When asked why they’d consider leaving, respondents ranked cost of living and taxes first, cited by 68% of those open to emigrating—ahead of political climate, which came in at 54%. Healthcare access (39%), public safety (29%), and education (21%) rounded out the top five.
