The average person moves approximately 12 times throughout their lifetime. For years, the majority of Americans have chosen large metros like Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago for relocation, but a recent notational trend shows more Americans moving west.
“Americans are moving westward, flocking to the Mountain and Pacific West, while the Northeast and Midwest continue to lose residents,” said officials for United Van Lines.
According to AL.com, United Van Lines has realized its annual National Movers Study, that showcased Alabama making the top 10 on the list of popular “inbound” states, which are those with more people moving in and moving out.
“For more than 40 years, United Van Lines has been tracking which states people are moving to and from,” said Melissa Sullivan, director of marketing communications at United Van Lines. “We also survey our customers to understand why they are moving from state-to-state. As the nation’s largest household goods mover, the data we collect is reflective of national migration trends.”
Alabama saw its largest increase in movers in the 35 to 44 age bracket. Approximately 18% of 35 to 44 years olds were moving into the state and 14% were outgoing. The largest increase comes in the 55 to 64 age range with 28% arrival rate and 14% departing.
“I think what we miss is that people aren’t just coming here for retirement,” said Doug Marshall, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at the USA. “They’re coming here before retirement. You also can’t miss that part of the move to Alabama is, we have a relatively low cost of living.”
Along with Alabama, the rest of the top inbound states throughout 2017 were Colorado (9), North Carolina (8), South Carolina (7), Washington (6), South Dakota (5), Nevada (4), Idaho (3), Oregon (2), and Vermont (1).
