Let's all go to Idaho
Graphic courtesy of United Van Lines The 2016 United Van Lines Movers Study found Idaho is the fourth most popular destination for people moving to a different state. South Dakota topped the list with Vermont and Oregon close behind.
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
The Northwest is the best, and Idaho is No. 4 in the contest.
United Van Lines' 40th annual Movers Study, www.unitedvanlines.com/contact-united/news/movers-study-2016, found people are trading oceans and beaches for mountains and lakes. Retirees especially are making new homes in the top inbound states of South Dakota, Oregon and Idaho. More than 27 percent of those moving to the Gem State are 65 or older and more than a third are 55-64. A quarter specifically moved to Idaho to retire.
"The trends I've seen in Idaho are specific to the family and retirement lifestyle area," said United Van Lines outreach coordinator Jason Zimelman. "It's really interesting to see how the flow of people circulates from year to year. The Northwest has been a very popular region in general."
People are moving to western states with the exception of Vermont. Vermont is No. 2 on the 2016 list of top inbound states. Otherwise, eastern states are experiencing a moving deficit, with New Jersey at the top of the outbound list followed by New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
"Regarding why people are moving, the Mountain West led the way with retirees, with one in four movers indicating they chose to move to this location for retirement reasons," the study reads. "Regions which saw the most inbound moves for company transfers included the Midwest (63 percent) and Pacific West (62 percent). The region with the largest exodus of residents due to finding jobs elsewhere was the southern U.S. (62 percent). Across all regions, nearly one in five of those who moved in 2016 moved to be closer to family."
United Van Lines conducts the study to track the movement from state to state and understand why people move.
“This year’s data clearly reflects retirees’ location preferences. We are seeing more retirees than ever decide to relocate, and as a result, new retirement hubs are popping up in Western states," said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Interestingly enough, these retirees are leaving at such a fast pace that the movement of millennials to urban areas in the Midwest and Northeast is being overshadowed."
Among the top 10 inbound states are South Carolina, Washington, District of Columbia, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona. The other states people are leaving at a high rate are Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Utah and Pennsylvania.