United Van Lines' Annual Migration Study reveals Oregon as top moving destination of 2013. Michigan moves off High Outbound List after 16 years with moving deficit.
Jan 2, 2014 -
ST. LOUIS - After four straight years as runner-up, Oregon has finally made it to the winner’s circle, and Michigan can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Those are the key findings from United Van Lines’ 37th Annual Migration Study, which tracks the states the company’s customers move to and from during the course of the year. The study found that Oregon is the top moving destination of 2013, with 61 percent of moves to the state inbound ones. And after 16 consecutive years at or near the top of the outbound list, Michigan appeared in the balanced category for 2013. Michigan had claimed the top outbound spot from 2006-2009.
The District of Columbia (57 percent inbound) fell to the number five position on the inbound list after five consecutive years as the top moving destination. New additions to the 2013 top inbound list include South Dakota (57 percent), Texas (56 percent) and Colorado (55 percent).
“As the nation’s largest household goods mover, United’s shipment data illustrates national state-to-state migration trends,” said Carl Walter, vice president of United Van Lines. “We’ve been tracking the number of inbound and outbound domestic moves for nearly 40 years, and through our study are able to identify the states that are attracting or losing residents.”
“Business incentives, industrial growth and relatively lower costs of living are attracting jobs and people to the Southeastern and Western states such as South Dakota, Colorado and Texas,” said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We’re also seeing continued migration to the Pacific Northwest as young professionals and retirees are drawn to amenities including public transit, green space and the local arts and entertainment scene.”
United has tracked migration patterns annually on a state-by-state basis since 1977. For 2013, the study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. United classifies states as “high inbound” if 55 percent or more of the moves are going into a state, “high outbound” if 55 percent or more moves were coming out of a state, or “balanced” if the difference of inbound and outbound is negligible.
Moving In
The top inbound states of 2013 were: