New York Is 3rd Most Popular State To Flee, Moving Study Says

If someone from New York is moving, chances are it's out of state. New York was found to be the third most popular state for residents to move out of, according to moving company United Van Lines’ 41st Annual Movers Study for 2017.

The survey shows that The Empire State saw about 61 percent of movers leave the state last year while only 39 percent moved here.

This 2017 study is based on household moves handled by United within 48 states and Washington, D.C.

United tracked customers’ state-to-state moving patterns over the past year, including why they are moving. Here's why:

Work

The main reason why New Yorkers are moving out of the state is the same reason why people are moving here in the first place: work. About 59 percent of people moved to New York for a job, while 47 percent moved out of state for employment.

Retirement

Retirement is also a huge reason why residents are leaving the state. About 25 percent of people cite retirement as the reason they moved elsewhere, the survey shows.

Oppositely, only 7 percent of people moved to New York for retirement reasons.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle is also a big reason for New Yorkers to move somewhere new. About 18 percent of movers from New York left the state while just 9 percent of movers came here, according to the data.

Family

More movers, about 22 percent, come to New York for family, as opposed to the 19 percent who leave the state for family-related reasons, United Van Lines says.

Outbound States

It’s not just New York, either. The Northeast is experiencing a moving deficit with 63 percent of movers going out of state, United Van Lines says. Along with New York, New Jersey (No. 2), Connecticut (No. 4) and Massachusetts (No. 6) are all listed among the top 10 outbound states for 2017.

After five consecutive years as the No. 1 state for residents to move out of, Illinois topped New Jersey as the top outbound state for 2017.

So, since it’s obviously not New York, where is everybody going?

Inbound States

The top five states movers are flocking to are Vermont, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and South Dakota.

Western and Southern states are becoming increasingly popular due to their lower housing costs, temperate climates and job growth that is about the national average, according to Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We’re also seeing continued migration to the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West as young professionals and retirees leave California," he said in a press release.

• Would you ever move out of New York? Where would you go?

Image of the Long Island Expressway in Queens via Wikipedia Commons courtesy of Vishwin60