That’s the question United Van Lines asks every year when conducting their Annual National Movers Study. This report tracks moving trends and motivating factors, while ranking the top states Americans are moving from and to. The top outbound state for the 4th straight year is New Jersey, with Vermont becoming the nation’s top inbound state.
What’s the biggest relocation trend in 2021? People are moving closer to family; 31.8% of Americans moved solely for this reason. With more abundant work from home opportunities and hybrid work flexibility, more Americans are finding it easier to live closer to family without changing careers. Corporate employee relocations and people moving for jobs had the sharpest decline. Nearly 60% of moves in 2015 were related to moving for new jobs, accounting for only 32.5% of moves in 2021.
The top 10 states people are moving to are Vermont, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Idaho and Rhode Island. 8 of these states are among the top 25 least populated states in America. This trend is highlighted by more American’s leaving densely populated areas for smaller cities and rural areas.
Further accenting this trend, the top states Americans have moved from are New Jersey, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California, Michigan, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Ohio and Nebraska. Several of these states contain the largest, most densely populated cities in the United States.
For further details about this study and to access the interactive map, click here.
