Florida In-Out Migration from Florida Association of Realtors

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 8, 2009 – United Van Lines tracks its moves each year and compares the number of people moving into each state versus the number moving out. In 2008, the company found Florida to be “balanced,” meaning the number of inbound and outbound movers was almost equal. The Mid-Atlantic states saw growth, however, while states to the north saw decreases.The Mid-Atlantic and Western regions proved to be popular destinations in 2008, according to United Van Lines’ 32nd annual “migration” study, which tracks where its customers moved from, and their most popular destinations, over the past 12 months.United has tracked shipment patterns annually on a state-by-state basis since 1977. For 2008, the study was based on the 198,962 interstate household moves handled by United among the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. United classifies the states as “high inbound” (55 percent or more of moves going into a state), “high outbound” (55 percent or more of moves coming out of a state) or “balanced.”Moving inMid-Atlantic states came out ahead in 2008, with the District of Columbia (62.1 percent) reigning as the top destination, North Carolina (58.2 percent) capturing third place (dropping from the No. 1 spot in 2007) and South Carolina (56.4 percent) coming in as the seventh highest inbound state. Although it’s not considered a high-inbound state, Delaware (54 percent) also showed signs of growth in 2008.While the Mid-Atlantic states flourished, only two Northeastern states experienced inbound migration this year – Vermont (52.2 percent) and Massachusetts (51.8 percent).Across the country, Oregon (55.6 percent) and Nevada (59.2 percent) remained popular states, and Oregon celebrated 21 consecutive years of high-inbound migration, while Nevada celebrated 23 years. In addition, Wyoming (57.8 percent) topped its own record for the highest percentage of inbound moves, and South Dakota (57.3 percent,) made the high-inbound list for the third year in a row.Alabama (58.1 percent) was the only Southern state represented on the high-inbound list in 2008. Although they are not classified as high-inbound states, the overwhelming majority of Southern states, including Texas (54.6 percent), Louisiana (54 percent), Mississippi (51.8 percent) and Georgia (51.2 percent), experienced more inbound moves than outbound moves.The Midwest also experienced positive moving trends in 2008. Missouri (54 percent) ended its 13-year outbound trend with a 5.4 point increase over last year’s percentage, while Tennessee (54.6 percent), Arkansas (54.3 percent) and Kentucky (51 percent) showed positive trends.Moving outThe historical data from United’s migration studies over the past 32 years shows an overall outbound trend for the Great Lakes region. Michigan (67.1 percent) again captured the top outbound spot, a title held since 2006. Indiana (57 percent) also earned the distinction of being a high-outbound state, continuing a 15-year trend. Other Great Lakes states that made the high-outbound list were New York (55.1 percent) and Illinois (57.2 percent), both of which have been outbound states since the survey was established in 1977.North Dakota (58.9 percent) ranked second on the high-outbound states list in 2008 with a decline of 8.3 percentage points in outbound moves between 2007 and 2008.Five Northeastern states round out 2008’s high-outbound states. New Jersey (58.7 percent) ranked third in high-outbound states, continuing an outbound trend that began in 1988. Pennsylvania (58 percent), an outbound state since 1977, came in fourth; Rhode Island (57.8 percent) continued its six-year outbound status with a 6.4 percentage point increase in outbound moves; and Maine (55.8 percent) witnessed a 4 percentage point increase in outbound moves over 2007.Another Northeastern state, Connecticut (53.5 percent), ranked as an outbound state for the sixth year in a row. Maryland (52.6 percent), the only Mid-Atlantic state on the outbound list, retained its 17-year outbound tradition.BalancedWhile the majority of states are considered balanced, this year’s study revealed that six states said hello to almost exactly the same number of residents as those they bid farewell. Two of the six states – Minnesota and Florida – are considered perfectly balanced with 50 percent inbound and 50 percent outbound. The Midwest produced a handful of states that achieved a near-perfect balance in 2008, including Kansas and Iowa. Washington and West Virginia rounded out the list of states that ended the year with a near-perfect balance.Walter said the United Van Lines study, through the years, has been shown to accurately reflect the general migration patterns in various regions of the country. He also noted that real estate firms, financial institutions and other professionals who observe relocation trends regularly use the United data in their business planning and economic analyses.© 2009 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®