NJ Among Top Outbound States According to 2022 Migration Map

On Dec 29, 2022

New Jersey was among the top outbound states in 2022 according to North American Van Lines, Inc.’s annual migration map that details where Americans moved this past year. The map uncovered a sizable trend of Americans leaving high cost-of-living areas for warmer climates with more reasonable housing conditions, noting southern states received the largest amounts of movers.

Top outbound states include Illinois (65%), California (62%), New Jersey (61%), and Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York (59% tie). Considering Neighbor released information stating that 78% of Americans are reducing their spending this holiday season, coupled with the surge in inflation, states like California and New York have standards-of-living many Americans can no longer afford.

Top inbound states uncovered within the map include South Carolina (66%), North Carolina (64%), Tennessee (64%), Arizona (57%), and Florida (56%).

Top inbound cities uncovered within the map include Raleigh, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Tucson, Arizona; and Nashville, Tennessee. Leading similarities among the cities include low costs-of-living and reasonable housing prices

The map highlights the association between southern states lessening COVID-19 restrictions first in 2020, as well as lower tax rates, which Americans, coupled with warmer temperatures, may find appealing.

“Across the board, a clear trend of Americans leaving expensive, highly taxed, and cold states for warmer states with lower tax burdens can be observed, at both the state and city level,” said Ryan Cox, director of consumer channel at North American Van Lines. “It’s a continuation of what we saw in 2021 and 2020. We’re interested to see if these trends continue throughout 2023.”

Overall, the number of moves in 2022 was less than 2021 and 2020. For the fourth year in a row, Illinois had the most significant percentage of outbound moves, while Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina maintained their spots at the top of the inbound state list since 2020.

Final considerations going into the selection of these inbound states include flexibility for remote work and the potential for easy retirement.

The data for this report was calculated by defining top inbound and outbound states as those having the highest proportion of moves where the absolute value difference of inbound and outbound moves is greater than or equal to 400. States with a small number of moves would not be considered due to their high ratio of inbound and outbound moves.

Access the entire report at North American Van Lines.

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