Shake up with the United Van Lines’ Annual Migration Study

Every year, United Van Lines issues its Annual Migration Study, which tracks the states the van line’s customers move to and from

Every year, United Van Lines issues its Annual Migration Study, which tracks the states the van line’s customers move to and from during the course of the year. Over the past few years, there have been some consistencies among the states with the highest inbound and outbound percentages. For example, Washington, D.C., routinely held the top spot, sustained by its steady availability of government jobs.

For several reasons though, there’s been a bit of a shake up this year.

Switching coasts, Oregon is now the top destination – followed closely by South Carolina and North Carolina, respectively. Washington, D.C. has fallen to the fourth spot. The study attributes widespread interest in public transportation, sustainability, and arts and entertainment for the reasons why so many are moving to Oregon. Low cost of living and industrial growth is what is attributed to fueling interest in the Carolinas.

Although New Jersey continues to be the highest outbound state, Michigan improved enough to no longer place on the outbound list for the first time in 16 years. It is now considered a balanced state – because neither inbound nor outbound moves are more than 55 percent – largely because home prices are rebounding and automakers are hiring again.

The full report is available here. If you have any questions about the migration study or any other trends in the relocation industry, we would love to hear from you.