Americans are on the move, and the latest migration patterns show that many are leaving their home states in search of better opportunities. According to the United Van Lines National Movers Study, New Jersey has been the most popular state for outbound moves for the past three years. Illinois (67%), New York (63%), Connecticut (60%) and California (59%) follow closely behind. The high cost of living in these states is a major factor in people's decisions to move.
Residents pay up to 8.75% in income taxes, 7% in sales taxes and an average effective property tax rate of 1.86%. The migration pattern also explains why 82% of urban areas have seen more people move, while suburban areas have seen more people move. With the pandemic normalizing remote work, many people are choosing to leave overcrowded areas behind in favor of places that offer more space at a reasonable price. The United Van Lines survey also revealed that 31.8% of Americans who moved did so to be closer to their family. William H.
Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, told the Baltimore Sun that this may be due in part to the resumption of migration of people to the suburbs and south, which stopped during the recession. Proximity to family and loved ones has been found to be one of the main reasons why people stay in their hometowns or eventually move back home, and this fact hasn't changed in recent years. If Americans don't yet have a work-from-home job that allows them to live where they want, they may be looking to move to cities with incredible remote work opportunities. In January, WBEZ spoke with Juan Mendez, who moved to Indiana with his wife and children, but is still working in Batavia, Illinois. Vermont is one of the most popular destinations for out-of-state moves, but state taxes are among the highest in the country. With an unemployment rate and economy still recovering from the global pandemic, many Americans are looking to move to a different state or city to reduce housing and housing costs. While big cities like Austin and Dallas are experiencing continued growth, it is the suburbs of Texas that are really booming due to out-of-state moves and people leaving the city.
This includes students who moved home due to college housing closures and young people who moved to more affordable cities for remote work opportunities. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are the largest cities in the country, but their respective states are seeing most people pack their bags and leaving.
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