The migration pattern for Americans continues to be toward the West and the South, according to the results of the latest United Van Lines annual national movers study.

The pace of those moving to Mountain and Pacific states was higher than people leaving those states, and the rate of inbound migration in the Mountain and Pacific states was higher than most of the rest of the nation, according to the study. Six of the top 10 states — Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, and South Dakota — were Mountain or Pacific states. Southern states North and South Carolina also were in the top 10 for inbound migration.

Based on population statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, which takes into account births, deaths, domestic and international migration, all six states posted population increases of more than 1% in 2018, compared with a population gain of 0.62% for the U.S.

The annual study tracks migration patterns of United Van Lines customers within the United States.

“The data collected by United Van Lines aligns with longer-term migration patterns to southern and western states, trends driven by factors like job growth, lower costs of living, state budgetary challenges, and more temperate climates,” said Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement published by United Van Lines.

The state with the highest inbound migration rate was Vermont, where 72.6% of the 234 total moves with United Van Lines were inbound. Vermont is somewhat of an exception, however, as the state posted a population increase of just 0.28% in 2018, below the U.S. average of 0.62%, according to U.S. Census data.   

In terms of outbound migration, New Jersey topped the United Van Lines list, with 66.8% of the 4,430 moves in an out of the state last year. New Jersey has been ranked in the top 10 for outbound migration for the past 10 years. Even so, New Jersey’s population is growing, posting a relatively small increase of 0.22% to 8.9 million in 2018, according to Census statistics.

Of the top 10 outbound states, seven are located in the Northeast and the so-called Rust Belt — New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Among the most frequently cited reasons for people leaving these states are retirement and being closer to their family. All seven states have posted population changes below the U.S. average of 0.62%, and three — New York, Connecticut, and Illinois — recorded population losses in 2018, according to Census data.

State	Total moves	From	To	% From	% To	Population
Vt.	234	64	170	27.4%	72.6%	626,299
Ore.	3,346	1,210	2,136	36.2%	63.8%	4,190,713
Idaho	1,172	441	731	37.6%	62.4%	1,754,208
Nev.	2,103	804	1,299	38.2%	61.8%	3,034,392
Ariz.	6,200	2,470	3,730	39.8%	60.2%	7,171,646
S.C.	3,871	1,553	2,318	40.1%	59.9%	5,084,127
Wash.	8,791	3,620	5,171	41.2%	58.8%	7,535,591
N.C.	8,398	3,610	4,788	43.0%	57.0%	10,383,620
S.D.	381	164	217	43.0%	57.0%	882,235
Tenn.	4,639	2,027	2,612	43.7%	56.3%	6,770,010
Del.	677	296	381	43.7%	56.3%	967,171
Fla.	15,385	6,832	8,553	44.4%	55.6%	21,299,325
N.H.	809	368	441	45.5%	54.5%	1,356,458
Ala.	2,304	1,050	1,254	45.6%	54.4%	4,887,871
Colo.	7,205	3,331	3,874	46.2%	53.8%	5,695,564
Wyo.	474	221	253	46.6%	53.4%	577,737
Ga.	8,001	3,748	4,253	46.8%	53.2%	10,519,475
Texas	18,154	8,572	9,582	47.2%	52.8%	28,701,845
Okla.	1,672	793	879	47.4%	52.6%	3,943,079
Pa.	6,090	2,917	3,173	47.9%	52.1%	12,807,060
Minn.	3,043	1,479	1,564	48.6%	51.4%	5,611,179
Ind.	2,923	1,425	1,498	48.8%	51.2%	6,691,878
N.M.	1,790	876	914	48.9%	51.1%	2,095,428
R.I.	770	379	391	49.2%	50.8%	1,057,315
Miss.	1,250	618	632	49.4%	50.6%	2,986,530
Ark.	1,254	623	631	49.7%	50.3%	3,013,825
Maine	1,025	519	506	50.6%	49.4%	1,338,404
Mo.	4,038	2,061	1,977	51.0%	49.0%	6,126,452
N.D.	571	293	278	51.3%	48.7%	760,077
Va.	10,054	5,184	4,870	51.6%	48.4%	8,517,685
Utah	1,926	995	931	51.7%	48.3%	3,161,105
W.Va.	396	205	191	51.8%	48.2%	1,805,832
Neb.	1,227	645	582	52.6%	47.4%	1,929,268
Md.	3,740	1,985	1,755	53.1%	46.9%	6,042,718
Ky.	2,444	1,307	1,137	53.5%	46.5%	4,468,402
Wis.	2,870	1,549	1,321	54.0%	46.0%	5,813,568
La.	2,294	1,246	1,048	54.3%	45.7%	4,659,978
Calif.	22,945	12,473	10,472	54.4%	45.6%	39,557,045
Mich.	4,223	2,322	1,901	55.0%	45.0%	9,995,915
Mont.	1,392	766	626	55.0%	45.0%	1,062,305
Iowa	1,309	727	582	55.5%	44.5%	3,156,145
Mass.	4,460	2,484	1,976	55.7%	44.3%	6,902,149
Ohio	6,346	3,588	2,758	56.5%	43.5%	11,689,442
Kan.	2,335	1,370	965	58.7%	41.3%	2,911,505
N.Y.	7,744	4,764	2,980	61.5%	38.5%	19,542,209
Conn.	2,367	1,467	900	62.0%	38.0%	3,572,665
Ill.	7,629	5,026	2,603	65.9%	34.1%	12,741,080
N.J.	4,430	2,959	1,471	66.8%	33.2%	8,908,520

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