Great Lakes Region Leads Nation in Outbound Traffic, Growth Slows in Western States, According to 2010 United Van Lines Migration Study

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Jan 03, 2011, 04:29 ET

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Outbound traffic from the Great Lakes region continued to lead the nation in 2010 with four states capturing high-outbound rankings. Western states that had traditionally experienced high-inbound traffic, most notably Nevada, saw their traffic level off. The findings are among the results of United Van Lines' 34th annual "migration" study, which tracks where its customers move from and the most popular destinations over the past 12 months. The findings for 2010 were announced today by Carl Walter, vice president of United Van Lines, the nation's largest household goods mover.

United has tracked migration patterns annually on a state-by-state basis since 1977. For 2010, the study is based on the 146,837 interstate household moves handled by United among the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C. United classifies the states as "high inbound" (55% or more of the moves going into a state), "high outbound" (55% or more moves coming out of a state) or "balanced."

Moving In

In 2010, the District of Columbia (64.3%) was once again the top destination in the United States for the third consecutive year. North Carolina (57.8%) was the only other mid-Atlantic state to experience high-inbound traffic, rising from No. 10 on the list in 2009 to No. 3 in 2010.

In the South, South Carolina (56%) appeared on the high-inbound list for the first time since 2008.

In the Western, region, only two states, down from six in 2009, captured high-inbound rankings. Oregon (59.5%) once again came in second and celebrated its 23rd year of high-inbound migration. Idaho (57.6%) appeared on the high-inbound list for the second consecutive year.

Moving Out

New Jersey (62.5%) claimed the top spot on the high-outbound traffic list. Also in the North East, New Hampshire (55.6%) had the seventh highest out-bound traffic.

The Great Lake region continued to have the highest out-bound traffic levels in the nation, with four of the region's states experiencing high outbound traffic. Michigan (62%), which was the top outbound state from 2006-2009, fell to No. 2 in 2010. Illinois (57.3%), Ohio (55.6%) and Pennsylvania (55.4%) also experienced high out-bound traffic.

Missouri (60.1%) ranks No. 3 among states with high outbound traffic. 2010 is the first year since 2002 Missouri has not appeared in the balanced category. North Dakota (60.8%) and Kansas (56.6%) also experienced high-outbound traffic in 2010.

Balanced

There are some notable additions to the balanced category in 2010. Nevada, which was part of the high-inbound traffic for 24 consecutive years, is now considered a balanced state. Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico are other Western states that went from high-inbound traffic in 2009 to a balanced status in 2010.

Several states were almost perfectly balanced gaining approximately the same number of residents as were lost. Those states include Delaware in the Eastern Region, Alabama, and West Virginia in the South, and Iowa in the Midwest.

Walter said the United Van Lines' study has been shown through the years to accurately reflect general migration patterns in various regions of the country. He also noted that financial institutions, real estate firms and other professionals who regularly observe relocation trends use United's data in business planning and economic analysis.

United Van Lines is America's #1 Mover®. In cooperation with its sister company United Containers, United Van Lines is able to offer a full range of moving solutions from do-it-yourself to full-service. With headquarters in suburban St. Louis, United Van Lines maintains a network of 400 affiliated agencies. For more information about United Van Lines visit UnitedVanLines.com.