People move mainly for economic reasons, especially housing, according the a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Data from 2022 show that 14.4 percent of survey respondents said they wanted a better, newer, or larger house or apartment, followed by 8.5 percent who said they moved to own a home instead of rent. Cheaper housing was the reason for 7.7 percent. Almost 5 percent wanted to live in a neighborhood with less crime.
Employment was a big category with 9.2 percent saying they were transferred or got a new job. Just over 4 percent wanted an easier commute.
Family was also a big reason with 11.2 percent saying they wanted to establish their own household.
And where are people moving? Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, and Oklahoma.
Texas had the largest net increase in residents with 130,000. About 610,000 people moved to Texas and about 480,000 left.
Meanwhile, people are moving out of California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Louisiana. California had the largest net loss of residents, about 270,000, less than 1 percent of its 38 million people. New York posted the second highest loss of residents.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
