Why People Keep Moving Out of the Northeast
If you caught a glimpse of the The New York Post’s April 1st headline, you would have seen the title “people are fleeing New York at an alarming rate” emblazoned across the page. According to data from United Van Lines, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut all landed in the top five places people were moving out of the fastest this year. While this may seem like a new development, people have been moving out of the northeast for quite some time. Since 2010, more than one million people have moved from the New York area to other parts of the country.
If you’re wondering where exactly people are going, United Van Lines data shows that people are moving to western and southern states. Some of the states with the largest proportions of inbound moves were Oregon, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota and Vermont. In addition, the Austin, Houston, Orlando and Tampa metro areas are all currently experiencing high population growth. This shift is due to a few different factors.
Cost of Living in the Northeast
The first factor causing this migration shift is cost. The cost of living in the Northeast is among the highest in the nation. New York, Washington D.C. and Massachusetts are all in the top 5 most expensive states or districts in the country. High housing costs and sky-high taxes make it difficult for people to live comfortably. Therefore, people are moving to states where they can cut down their cost of living and be able to afford larger and less expensive homes.
Weather in the Northeast
The second factor causing this migration shift is weather. If you guessed that weather was one of the main culprits of this migration shift, you hit the nail right on the head! According to data from the Census Bureau, the largest migration between states is from New York to Florida. If you’ve spent a winter in the Northeast trying to commute to work in a blizzard (who could forget 2016’s Arctic Blast that practically froze the Northeast) it’s easy to see why residents would choose warmer, more temperate climates.
Better Job Opportunities
Another big factor that is causing people to leave the Northeast is for greater job opportunities. Many companies are opening up offices in warmer, less expensive places. For example Austin, Texas is becoming a technology metropolis as companies like Google, Apple, Dropbox and Oracle all recently built or expanded their offices here. In addition, other regions attracting movers taking new jobs were the Midwest and the Pacific West.
While all of the above factors contribute to the high migration rate out of the Northeast, there’s another factor to consider—an aging population. As the baby boomer generation is starting to retire, they’re settling down in areas with a low cost of living and a warmer climate. According to United Van Lines, “the Mountain West was the most popular destination for retirees with one in four movers indicating they chose to move to this location for retirement.” As the baby boomer generation continues to age, you’ll be sure to see this trend continue.
Planning on moving out of the northeast? American Movers Inc. of New Jersey can help. Find out more about our full-service interstate and long-distance moves.
