It's A Mass Exodus

New U.S. census data shows more white residents have left Massachusetts in the last four years than any other state except New York.

Between 2000 and 2004, more than 81,000 whites left the state. That's double the number of whites who left during the entire 1990s.

Researchers have known for some time that the Bay State has been losing population. But this is the first time official numbers have illustrated the race-specific aspect of the decline.

To analyze the numbers, we turn to Mike Goodman, director of economic and public policy research at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute.