More people are moving out of Michigan than moving in, according to surveys recently released by United Van Lines, U-Haul, and Redfin.
The surveys also indicated Americans are moving eastbound and southbound, and relocating to less expensive areas with comparable amenities to larger metropolitans.
In the Midwest and West region of the U.S., an outbound moving trend continues. Illinois (61 percent), Michigan (58 percent), and California (58 percent) were included among the states with a high percentage of outbound moves in 2023. Additionally, North Dakota (61 percent) and Kansas (55 percent) joined the top outbound states last year.
“We are continuing to see the trend that Americans are moving to more affordable, lower-density areas across the country, with many heading to Southern states,” says Eily Cummings, vice president of corporate communications for United Van Lines. “Movers are also becoming more strategic with their planning, as relocation continues to be driven by factors such as the price of housing, regional climates, urban planning and job growth.”
U-Haul’s survey indicates that Michigan placed 46 on its list of growth states. This is up two spots from 2022. U-Haul stated in its report that migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the company considers its index to be an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents.
Redfin statistics for November of 2023 show that the outflow of residents in Michigan has slowed. Net outflow is defined as the number of Redfin.com home searchers looking to leave a metro area, minus the number of searchers looking to move in. The number was approximately 3,400 in November of 2022 compared to 2,100 in November of 2023.
United Van Lines’ survey stated that the results of its study, which tracks the company’s exclusive data for customers’ state-to-state migration patterns, for the third consecutive year, more residents moved to Vermont than any other state with 65 percent of moves being inbound.
Of moves to Vermont, moving to be closer to family (29 percent) led the reason for relocating to the state, followed by a lifestyle change (20 percent). For the sixth consecutive year, however, the study found more residents moved out of New Jersey than any other state, as 65 percent of New Jersey moves were outbound. The top motivation for moves out of the state was driven primarily from those looking to retire (27 percent).
Overall, U-Haul reported that the biggest climbers year-over-year in the U-Haul growth rankings are Arkansas (+26 spots), Wyoming (+19), Vermont (+18), Washington (+16), Delaware (+12) and South Dakota (+12). The biggest fallers year-over-year are Oregon (-15 spots), Connecticut (-14), Pennsylvania (-14), Ohio (-14), Missouri (-13), and Indiana (-13).
