The Top States People Moved to—and the Ones They Left—Last Year

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Texas, Florida, and South Carolina were the top U-Haul growth states in 2022. Utah ranked No. 12.

By Clare Trapasso

Americans packed up their belongings and headed for cheaper destinations last year. The top spots for those moving across state lines in 2022 were the sunny South and more rural, Northeastern states that boasted a more affordable cost of living, according to statistics released by three national moving companies. “The 2022 trends in migration followed very similar patterns to 2021 with Texas, Florida, the Carolinas and the Southwest continuing to see solid growth,” stated John “J.T.” Taylor, U-Haul International president. “We still have areas with strong demand for one-way rentals. While overall migration in 2021 was record-breaking, we continue to experience significant customer demand to move out of some geographic areas to destinations at the top of our growth list.” Popular destinations for those moving across the country included Florida, the Carolinas, and some of the chilliest Northeastern states. U-Haul, Atlas Van Lines, and United Van Lines all released reports detailing the states the most people moved in and out of in 2022. “You have people moving from the colder Northeastern and Midwestern states to the warmer Southern and Western states. That trend has been going on for 30 years and seemed to accelerate during COVID,” said Michael Stoll, professor of public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies migration trends. “Residents of the Midwestern and

Northeastern states tend to be a little older … so a lot of folks are thinking retirement locations.” The Northeastern states picked up new residents as those who could work remotely or were retiring sought out less populated areas with more outdoor activities, lower home prices, and a less expensive cost of living that were still within a few hours’ drive of the larger cities. “These areas in the Northeast became increasingly attractive,” said Stoll. “A lot of people in Manhattan moved to these areas.” While the top destinations for movers varied depending on who conducted the study, there wasn’t as much variation in the ones people were leaving. Illinois and New York made the top five among all the moving companies. Both states are relatively cold and have high costs of living, with Illinois having some of the heftiest tax burdens in the nation.

According to the U-Haul Growth Index, more people left California in 2022 than any other state. Demand for equipment out of California, Illinois and New York remained strong in 2022, as more people opted to leave areas of the West Coast, Northeast and Midwest. California and Illinois ranked 50th and 49th, respectively, on the U-Haul Growth Index for the third consecutive year, meaning those states saw the greatest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks. Fewer people moved in 2022 compared with 2021 as the pandemic began to wane, according to the U-Haul study as well as the Atlas Van Lines report. The number of people relocating because they could work remotely declined a bit. Older members of Generation X and baby boomers were the most likely to relocate, according to United Van Lines’ 46th Annual National Movers Study. More than half of those who booked a move through United Van Lines were 55 and older.

They typically moved to less populated areas because of a career change, retirement, or the desire to be closer to their family. Younger millennials were more likely to head to larger cities. “Americans are moving from expensive cities to lowerdensity, more affordable regions,” United Van Lines spokesman Eily Cummings said in a statement.

Clare Trapasso is the executive news editor of Realtor.com where she writes and edits news and data stories.

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