According to the 2012 Atlas Van Lines
Migration Patterns study, California remains a balanced state for
inbound and outbound moves. The Golden State is also the state with
the highest number of moves in 2012: nearly 13,000 moves. The
second- and third-highest number of moves occurred in Texas and
Florida, respectively.
As for U.S. trends, there have been
more shifts from inbound states and outbound states to balanced
states in 2012. The study found that Southwestern and mid-Atlantic
coastal states remain as the most popular destinations, while the
Midwest becomes more balanced than years past. Atlas first conducted
the study in 1993 to track the nation’s interstate moving patterns.
Six states that were outbound in 2011
are now balanced states, including Massachusetts, Delaware,
Louisiana, Missouri, Utah and Wisconsin. Four states that were
inbound have shifted into balanced states this year, including
Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Virginia. Wyoming is outbound
again after spending 2011 as a balanced state. Previously balanced
state New Hampshire is inbound again.
For the seventh consecutive year,
Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of inbound moves, with
63 percent of all moves being inbound. Nebraska and New York beat
out Ohio for the highest percentage of outbound moves, with outbound
moves accounting for 58 percent of each state’s total.
“This year’s annual Migration Patterns
study revealed some interesting changes from 2011’s overall and
regional trends,” said Jack Griffin, president and COO of Atlas
World Group. “One of the more positive signs of 2012’s results is
the shift from the majority of Midwestern states being outbound to a
more balanced state. The increase in the number of balanced
states/provinces throughout the U.S. and Canada is a promising sign
that the economy could be stabilizing.”
In 2012, the total number of
interstate, or between states, and inter-province moves reached
73,256. In addition, regional trends show consistency over the past
year with fewer significant shifts:
Western States
The annual study
shows that the majority of the Western states remain balanced. Only
two states are inbound or outbound – Utah (outbound) and New Mexico
(inbound). California has now been balanced for more than 10
consecutive years.
Southern States
The Southeast remains balanced. Southwest states Texas and
New Mexico continue to be inbound states, as well as mid-Atlantic
states Virginia and North Carolina. Kentucky remains balanced after
becoming a newly inbound state in 2010 and moving back to balanced
in 2011.
Midwestern States
After 2011 showed the majority of its states with more
outbound than inbound moves, the Midwest region now has five
balanced states – Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri and
Michigan. Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska
remain outbound. Indiana has been an outbound state for more than 11
consecutive years. No Midwestern state has been classified as
inbound for more than 10 years.
Northern
States
The Northern states saw no changes from 2011 to 2012. New
York and New Jersey have been outbound for more than 10 years, with
Pennsylvania remaining balanced for more than 10 years. Washington,
D.C., is the only northern location with more than 10 years on the
inbound list.
Canadian Provinces
Of the 10 provinces, five are outbound – British Columbia,
Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Alberta breaks its
five-year streak as an outbound province, while Quebec moves back to
a balanced province. New Brunswick, who has been balanced for three
consecutive years, is now inbound. All three territories – Nunavut,
Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory – are unclassified;
Nunavut was outbound in 2011 and the Northwest Territories was
balanced.
How Status is Determined
Each state’s or province’s status is determined by its
threshold value, which is the total number of shipments multiplied
by 0.55 (i.e., in a state with 100 moves, at least 55 must be
outgoing to be considered outbound). All other states or provinces
in which outbound or inbound numbers don’t exceed the threshold are
classified as balanced. Shipments noted for Canada are cross-border
to the U.S. or from the U.S., not inter-provincial.
To view the full results of the 2012
migration patterns, map and annual histories for each state, visit
http://www.atlasvanlines.com/migration-patterns/.
