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Where are we going? Where have we been?

Staff Report //February 22, 2019//

Where are we going? Where have we been?

Staff Report //February 22, 2019//

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United Van Lines recently issued its moving report on states that are losing population and states that are gaining — newborn babies not included — and once again South Carolina made the top inbound states list.

But there were a few surprises …

  • Amazon’s not the only one leaving New York, where nearly 61% of people moving were outbound. The Empire State came in at No. 3 for people leaving.
  • Also, if you think a lot of people are moving here from Ohio, you’re at least half right. The Buckeye state saw a 56.2% outbound rate, putting them in the top 10 for exiting population.
 

So why are they
coming to S.C.?

Reason %
Retirement 36.70%
Job 32.50%
Family 21.50%
Lifestyle 21.50%
Health 4.70%
  • If you look at the income tab in the map below, people aren’t moving into and out of the Palmetto State just for money. There’s a statistical balance between high-income individuals leaving and those coming here. So why are people coming here?
  • The highest job growth for the top in-migration states was 3.2% in Nevada. South Carolina posted a 2018 job growth rate of 1.9% for the year. People mostly come to South Carolina for retirement.
  • That explains why the age distribution of in-migrating people to South Carolina is skewed toward folks 55 and older. Those leaving are a more balanced distribution of ages.

States losing people in 2018

State % of moves that are outbound Job growth
Illinois 63.40% 0.90%
New Jersey 62.90% 1.50%
New York 60.60% 1.10%
Connecticut 57.10% 0.90%
Kansas 56.70% 1.40%
Massachusetts 56.30% 1.60%
Ohio 56.20% 1.40%
Kentucky 56.00% 0.60%
Utah 55.70% 3.20%
Wisconsin 54.50% 1.20%

States gaining people in 2018

State % of moves that are inbound Job growth
Vermont 72.7% 0.00%
Oregon 63.8% 2.30%
Idaho 62.4% 3.10%
Nevada 61.8% 3.20%
South Dakota 57% 1.20%
Washington 58.8% 2.90%
South Carolina 59.9% 1.90%
North Carolina 57% 2.10%
Colorado 53.8% 2.70%
Alabama 54.4% 1.10%

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