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More people are moving out of Kansas than all but five other states, while roughly equal numbers of people are moving to or from Missouri.
United Van Lines released its Annual National Migration Study, revealing that in 2020, Americans continued to move westbound and southbound, and the COVID-19 pandemic factored into and accelerated many of those decisions to move.
According to the study, which tracks data for customers’ 2020 state-to-state migration patterns, Idaho was the state with the highest percentage of inbound migration (70 percent) among states experiencing more than 250 moves with United Van Lines for the second consecutive year. Topping the list of outbound locations was New Jersey (70 percent outbound), which has held the spot for the past three years.
Among the top inbound states were South Carolina (64 percent), Oregon (63 percent), South Dakota (62 percent) and Arizona (62 percent).
Top outbound states included New York (67 percent), Illinois (67 percent), Connecticut (63 percent) and California (59 percent) were among the states experiencing the largest exoduses.
For retirement, Montana and Delaware experienced more inbound moves than any other state at 41%, followed by Florida (39%) and South Carolina (38.5%). Minnesota led the list of states people moved to for family (41%), and Wyoming was the top state for a lifestyle change with an inbound percentage upwards of 29. More people migrated to Nebraska (72%) for a new job or job transfer than any other state, and more people moved to Idaho (11%) due to the cost of living than any other state.
Throughout the pandemic in 2020, major metropolitan areas and hotspots, such as New York City (72%), Newark (72%) and Chicago (69%), experienced greater outbound migration, while lower-density cities like Wilmington, North Carolina (79%) and Boise, Idaho (75%) saw high levels of inbound moves.
United Van Lines also conducts a survey examining the reasons behind Americans’ migration patterns as a companion to the study’s findings. This year’s survey results indicated 40 percent of Americans who moved did so for a new job or job transfer (down from prior years), and more than one in four (27 percent) moved to be closer to family (which is significantly up over prior years).
“United Van Lines’ data makes it clear that migration to western and southern states, a prevalent pattern for the past several years, persisted in 2020,” said Michael A. Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at UCLA. “However, we’re seeing that the COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt accelerated broader moving trends, including retirement driving top inbound regions as the Baby Boomer generation continues to reach that next phase of life.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
