More People Are Fleeing NJ Than Anywhere Else: Here's Why

People come and go for a variety of reasons: Job change. Retirement. A close family member falls ill. In New Jersey, residents most often leave – more than any othr state – for at least ** reasons.

That’s according to the 42nd annual “National Movers Study,” conducted by United Van Lines and published this week. The study tracked its customers’ state-to-state migration patterns in 2018.

More residents left New Jersey than any other state last year, the study found. More than 66 percent of movers in The Garden State headed elsewhere. That was a common thread in the Northeast, the study found, with Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts all in the top 10 outbound states. Several states in the Midwest also appeared near the top of the list.

1. New Jersey, 66.8 percent
2. Illinois, 65.9 percent
3. Connecticut, 62 percent
4. New York, 61.5 percent
5. Kansas, 58.7 percent
6. Ohio, 56.5 percent
7. Massachusetts, 55.7 percent
8. Iowa, 55.5 percent
9. Montana, 55 percent
10. Michigan, 55 percent

Here are the reasons people cited for moving within New Jersey – and completely out of the state:

• Inbound (moving within the state)
  • Job: 61.84 percent
  • Family: 28.29 percent
  • Lifestyle: 7.24 percent
  • Health: 6.58 percent
  • Retirement: 4.61 percent
• Outbound (moving out of the state)
  • Job: 34.73 percent
  • Retirement: 34.51 percent
  • Family: 20.44 percent
  • Lifestyle: 17.36 percent
  • Health: 6.15 percent

In New Jersey, people are choosing to go elsewhere largely because of the better climate and better lifestyle of the West. They also prefer the retirement options elsewhere.

Indeed, the reasons for the high percentage of moves to the Mountain West in 2018 include retirement (28.1 percent), proximity to family (20.8 percent) and lifestyle change (19.4 percent). Compared to all other states, Idaho saw the largest influx of new residents desiring a lifestyle change (25.95 percent), and more people flocked to New Mexico for retirement than any other state (42.74 percent).

Meanwhile, Vermont saw the highest percentage of inbound migration at 72.6 percent, and states in the West also proved to be popular destinations. Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and Washington all appeared in the top 10 for states with the highest inbound proportion.

“Unlike a few decades ago, retirees are leaving California, instead choosing other states in the Pacific West and Mountain West,” said Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to a release. “We’re also seeing young professionals migrating to vibrant, metropolitan economies, like Washington, D.C. and Seattle.”

Stoll said the data aligns well with longer-term migration patterns to the South and West, which have historically been driven by factors such as job growth, lower costs of living, state budget challenges and more temperate climates.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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