Which state has the highest percentage of inbound movers?
Inflows into the southeastern states have continued a post-pandemic trend that was weak or even non-existent before 2020.
The states where there are more population outflows than inflows are also following post-pandemic trends. The state with the highest population outflow is New Jersey, while neighboring New York is number 3. But it’s worth noting that the top reason movers give for leaving is proximity to family.
It is also worth examining to what extent the outflows in these two states are related to the pandemic. United Van Lines data from the pre-pandemic years is similar, suggesting that the “flight to the suburbs” and an exodus from big cities were stories that weren’t really new trends.
Illinois, California and Massachusetts rounded out the top five states in terms of population outflows. People leaving Illinois cited retirement as the top reason, while those leaving Massachusetts and California cited family and jobs, respectively.
People moving to West Virginia are likely overjoyed with the state of the housing market. According to data from Alto’s research, the median home price in the state is about $240,000, though that’s up from $160,000 in early 2021.
Inward migration does not appear to deplete the housing stock. Although supply is down significantly compared to the start of the pandemic, available single-family homes in West Virginia hover seasonally between 2,000 and 2,800.
The other four southeastern states in the top 10 follow similar patterns: modest but still affordable housing with a post-pandemic decline in inventory.
