A new study shows South Carolina ranked #3 in the nation last year as a destination for the percentage of people moving versus those leaving the state. Surprisingly enough…Vermont was #1.
Americans moving to new states in 2021 opted in large numbers for uncrowded destinations, according to a study by United Van Lines. The moving company recently released its 45th Annual National Movers Study, which uses customer data to track state-to-state migration patterns.
Nine of the top 10 outbound states are considered densely populated. When it came to outbound moves, New Jersey (71%) topped the list for the fourth straight year.
Illinois (67%) ranked second on the outbound list, followed by New York (63%), Connecticut (60%), and California (59%). Each of these states have also regularly appeared on the top of the outbound list.
Vermont was the state with the highest percentage (74%) with United Van Lines, followed by South Dakota and South Carolina as a moving destination.
United Van Lines also conducts a survey to examine the motivations and the influences for Americans’ interstate moves.
This year’s survey results indicated that 31.8% of Americans who moved did so in order to be closer to family. Additionally, 32.5% of Americans moved for a new job or job transfer, a significant decrease from 2015, when more than 60% of Americans cited a job or transfer. This is most likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lots of Americans working from home, or not working at all.
The south was the most popular destination on the list, with South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia al making the top ten. Adding to the exodus numbers were Generation Xers, many of whom retired early and moved to Florida, according to the study.
Moving In
The top inbound states of 2021 were:
- Vermont
- South Dakota
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
- Florida
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Rhode Island
Moving Out
The top outbound states for 2021 were:
- New Jersey
- Illinois
- New York
- Connecticut
- California
- Michigan
- Massachusetts
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- Nebraska
