United Van Lines has released its 46th Annual National Movers Study, which indicates Americans continued to move to lower-density areas accelerated by lifestyle preferences such as a career change, retirement and wanting to be closer to family.
According to the results of the study, which tracks the company’s exclusive data for customers’ state-to-state migration patterns, for the fifth consecutive year, more residents moved out of New Jersey than any other state, as 67% of New Jersey moves were outbound, which is down from the five-year trend of 70%.
Vermont saw the highest percentage of inbound migration (77%) for the second consecutive year.
“Key factors like retirement, wanting to be closer to family and lifestyle changes influenced by the pandemic along with current housing prices drove moving patterns in 2022,” Michael A. Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said. “The United Van Lines study encompasses data that Americans are now moving from bigger to smaller cities, mostly in the South, some in the West, but even an increase of migration to the Northeast, which has not been typical. We’re also seeing younger Millennials migrating to vibrant, metropolitan economies, like Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon.”