Study: Idaho No. 1 in net migration
Cheering for the home team is as natural as localized pride. But new data lends quantifiable credibility to the phrase, “great State of Idaho.”
If witnessing so much new construction, even throughout winter, wasn’t enough of a clue, a U.S. migration report released this month by HireAHelper shows Idaho ranks first in the nation for net growth. The data compared people moving into Idaho plus people moving within the state, to those leaving it in 2018.
Analyzing all the moves booked over the past year, along with Census data, Idaho gained 84 percent in net growth — higher than any other U.S. state. Boise is the top destination, followed by the Coeur d’Alene area.
The report claims to be the first of its kind. Other migration studies typically look at data from mortgages or full-service moving companies only — which tend to spotlight higher income migrations. This study also surveyed migration patterns of “hybrid moves,” or those including do-it-yourself movers combined with some professional service (e.g., renting a truck), which is how average Americans move.
Takeaways:
- Ten percent of Americans — 32.4 million people — moved in 2018.
- That’s half as many as 70 years ago; 20 percent of Americans moved in 1947. Except for a spike around 1985, moving frequency has steadily declined. Why? Possibilities include an aging population, better local recruitment, and remote work.
- A little more than half of moves are local (53 percent), with the old and new homes less than 50 miles apart.
- Many (41.6 percent) move for housing-related reasons, such as a better home (16.4 percent), to establish their own household (12.6 percent), or a new job (10.3 percent).
- Idaho tops net migration with 84.38 percent gain, followed closely by Montana (82.35 percent), then Vermont (64 percent), Wyoming (38 percent) and New Mexico (31 percent). Twenty-three states had a net loss, or negative migration.
- Looking solely at out-of-state moves, the top three states — representing 26 percent of moves crossing state lines — are Florida, California, and Texas.
Like the people who comprise it, no state is perfect. Yet there must be something about Idaho; so few of us want to leave. For more information, go here: HireAHelper Migration Report 2019
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who left Texas with no regrets, y’all. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.