Do the routes of moving vans give us clues about where Americans are moving and which cities and states have more or less appeal at a given time? North American Moving Services thinks they do, and by analyzing the data of its own customers and other researchers, it found that many Americans are heading to cities and states with a higher quality of living and affordable housing.
That gave an edge to North Carolina cities like Greensville, Charlotte, and Raleigh, as well as Nashville, TN, and Dallas, TX. The only highly ranked destination in this group of the top inbound states that was not Southern was Idaho.
Remote jobs that enabled employees to work from home at lower cost boosted this trend. However, many remote workers are choosing to move to mid-sized cities like Charlotte, Nashville, and Dallas to benefit from hybrid or in-office work opportunities.
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The report attributed some of the blame for states that lost population to higher income taxes. California is the prime example. The report said California outranked Illinois as the top outbound state for the first time in 10 years. However, Illinois still found itself in the group of top outbound states, along with Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington.
The report cited a study by Redfin that found 22% of survey takers were more likely to consider moving after the election. Of these, 36% considered moving to another country, and 26% to a different state. It noted that moves could also be related to women’s health and abortion rights issues.
The report also found that the number of individuals who moved in 2024 fell 8% compared to 2023. New Jersey replaced Minnesota on the list of top outbound states, coming in fourth. The most popular day to move was Friday, and the most popular month to do so was August.
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