2022 Relocation & Moving Statistics

Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a nationwide survey to reevaluate the population estimate. In 2020, the United States conducted its most recent census since 2010. Major shifts in population size, geographic distribution, and prevailing fashions of Americans have occurred during the last decade.

Even while the primary function of the U.S. Census is population-counting, the information it provides is also vital in many other areas. One example is the number of members each state has in Congress, which is determined partly by census data. It's also useful for public health, education, transportation, and other government budgets.

The population has exploded since the previous census, the 2020 United States Census reports. Some highlights from the most recent American census are as follows:

• According to projections, in 2022, an estimated 331,449,281 people are living in the United States, an increase of 7.4% from the last census in 2010.
• More than 27% of Americans reside in the three most populous states: Texas, California, and Florida.
• Idaho, Utah, Texas, North Dakota, and Nevada have the highest projected population increase from 2010 to 2020.
• Population decrease data from 2010 to 2020 shows that Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania are the states with the slowest growth rates in the United States.
• The national average gross rent is $1,096 per month.
• Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $229,800.
• Almost one-third of all adults in the United States have a bachelor's degree.
• As of 2020, American families may expect a median annual income of $64,994.
• There are an expected 9,878,397 companies owned by women, 7,952,386 businesses owned by minorities, and 2,521,682 enterprises owned by veterans.

U.S. Population Information and Statistics

The statistics about moving are staggering.

• More than 30 million people will move at least once in the next 12 months. That’s an astounding 19% of the U.S. population!
• In that same period, there will be almost 15 million households that move into a new home or apartment.

Considering all these numbers and factors, it is apparent that moving is very common in America.

In addition to overall growth, the population of the United States has seen notable shifts in several regions during the last decade. Authorities always keep track of where people are relocating to and from, but the 2020 U.S. Census revealed a few noteworthy trends, some of which were only getting started at the time of the census:

Moving Statistics

• Relocation across states has slowed, according to recent data. Down from 9.3% in 2020, 8.0% of Americans will have relocated in the last year.
• Roughly 253,000 individuals relocated to the South from elsewhere in the country in 2021, while the Northeast lost about 227,000 residents. Neither the Midwest nor the West saw any significant population shifts.
• In 2020, fewer individuals traveled inside the United States than in any year in the preceding 70 years of records.
• Throughout March 2020 and 2021, just 8% of Americans, or around 26.5 million individuals, relocated inside the United States.
• More individuals left U.S. cities than arrived in 2020. Close to 5 million Americans have abandoned urban centers for the suburbs or the country.
• In 2020, fewer than 3 million Americans left the suburbs or rural regions for urban centers.
• The majority of those who changed residence in 2020 were young adults (ages 20-29). About one-fifth of adults in this age bracket (18%) relocated that year.
• New remote work opportunities enabled an estimated 14-23 million Americans to relocate in 2021.
• According to statistics gathered in 2021, many who relocated during the pandemic did so briefly. Roughly 25% of the people who relocated in the United States because of the pandemic claim they are back in the same residence they left during the pandemic.
• Survey results from the year 2021 revealed that 26% of the population had relocated for safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The top three factors for moving in 2021 are: cost of living, proximity to family, and work flexibility.

Why Are People Moving: The Top Concerns

While most would think COVID-19 was a primary factor for moves in 2021, the top concerns were actually:

• Desire for a lower cost of living
• Moving closer to family
• Increased work flexibility
• Looking for new job opportunities
• Better schools
• Better safety regarding the pandemic

Top 5 States Most People are Leaving

Many have left various states over the last several years for multiple reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, politics, the property market, and rising living expenses.

In the following table, we can see which states had the greatest departure rates in 2021. Results from our 2021 US Migration Report include the following:

• Most individuals left the state of Illinois in 2021.
• Despite being the most populous state in the U.S., California saw 66% of the moves that occurred in the state be outbound.
• The top five states for departures (IL, CA, NJ, MI, and NY) are among the top 20 most densely populated states.

Top 5 Most Popular Destinations for New Residents

Growth in population is uneven throughout the states. In fact, according to the statistics, you may be astonished to find out where the majority of Americans are relocating to.

The 2021 US Migration Report by North American Van Lines for 2021 uncovered some fascinating statistics concerning people's relocation destinations.

• In 2021, South Carolina topped the nation in inbound moves by 66%.

Sources:

• https://www.census.gov/topics/population/migration.html
• https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/03/united-states-migration-continued-decline-from-2020-to-2021.html
• https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/geographic-mobility/state-to-state-migration.html
• https://www.northamerican.com/migration-map

Conclusion

Hopefully, these relocation and moving statistics have given you a better understanding of how Americans have migrated over the past couple of years and what type of impact the pandemic has had.

The pandemic has accelerated moving plans for many Americans; the rapid shift to remote work for many professionals opened up a window of opportunity to move long distances to a more desirable location.