LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) According to an analysis by United Van Lines, Michigan is the 8th most moved out of state.
It comes just before North Dakota and Iowa and after New Jersey, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio and California.
The moving company, United Van Lines, tracks its customers’ state to state migration. The company accounts for only the states that had more than 250 total moves. The numbers show Michigan is moving toward having just as many people move in as they have moving out of the state.
“I would say Michigan is trending to be more balanced, but we’re still seeing baby boomers moving out for retirement,” United Van Lines’ Director for Corporate Communications Eily Cummins told 6 News.
According to the statistics, more than 56% of people who moved out of Michigan were 55 years and older — and reports show they’re moving south and to the west.
Th top inbound states of 2019 were:
- Idaho
- Oregon
- Arizona
- South Carolina
- Washington
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- South Dakota
- North Carolina
- New Mexico
Overall, there were 3,764 total moves in Michigan in 2019. Of those moves, 2,142 moved out and 1,622 moved into the state.
The Michiganders who moved out cited jobs and retirement as the top reasons for leaving the state.
The most common reason for move-ins to the state were job-related. Additionally, 32% of the newcomers move to Michigan because their family is based here.
When the percentage of moves both in and out of state arrive at a 50-50 ratio, then the state or city becomes “balanced.”
In Michigan, Benton Harbor and Grand Rapids were found to be more “balanced” because their 2019 move-ins and outs reflected a more equivalent ratio.
In past years, Michigan has had the following in and outbound rates:
“Key factors like the Baby Boomer generation re-locating upon reaching retirement age as well as states’ economic performances and housing costs drove these 2019 moving patterns,” said Michael A. Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Of the years analyzed, 50% of these years were those in which the state of Michigan had just as many people moving into the state as moving out of the state. In these years, the balanced outbound to inbound rates hovered at 52-48 in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 54-46 in 2013.
*As a reminder, United Van Lines only accounts for states that had greater than 250 moves.
