Movers Study Sees More Retirees Moving Than Ever

According to United Van Lines 2016 Movers Study, South Dakota has overtaken Oregon (which held the top spot for the previous three years) as the nation’s “Top Moving Destination.” Vermont is number two followed by Oregon.  This data was part of United Van Lines’ 40^th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns over the previous year.  Interestingly, retirees are continuing to move to the Mountain and Pacific West, with one in four indicating that they chose to move there for retirement reasons.  United Van Lines has been tracking state-by-state migration patterns annually since 1977.  Their study is based on household moves handled by United within the continental United States.  It ranks states based off their inbound and outbound percentages of total moves in each state.

“This year’s data clearly reflects retirees’ location preferences. We are seeing more retirees than ever decide to relocate, and as a result, new retirement hubs are popping up in Western states, said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Interestingly enough, these retirees are leaving at such a fast pace that the movement of millennials to urban areas in the Midwest and Northeast is being overshadowed.” 

The top inbound states of 2016 were:

1. South Dakota
2. Vermont
3. Oregon
4. Idaho
5. South Carolina
6. Washington
7. District of Columbia
8. North Carolina
9. Nevada
10. Arizona 

The top outbound states for 2016 were:

1. New Jersey
2. Illinois
3. New York
4. Connecticut
5. Kansas
6. Kentucky
7. West Virginia
8. Ohio
9. Utah
10. Pennsylvania

Click here to read the full report at United van Lines.