The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation report said U.S. Census Bureau data shows Suffolk and Middlesex County residents left at the highest rates. And 2021 tax returns for 2020 showed residents aged 26 to 35 were the largest group leaving, according to the foundation.

Analysts can have discussions over what the drivers of outmigration are, said Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Doug Howgate, but data shows the state has lost population.

“If people want to have a discussion about what that implies, or if it’s just a blip, or if it’s going to change, I think that’s totally appropriate,” he said. “But I do think that the data indicate that Massachusetts is losing population.”