As a result of unprecedented economic and social shifts in the past two years, Atlas Van Lines’ Annual Migration Patterns Study found people relocated to areas in the USA with growing populations in 2022. Since 1993, the company has published an annual study tracking interstate, cross-border, and international moves.
Data from Atlas Van Lines shows people are leaving some of the most affordable states, such as Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois, for other reasons, such as being closer to family. There were 13 US states classified as outbound, meaning more people moved out of the state than in. In addition, there were 13 US states classified as inbound, meaning more people moved in.
Here are the 10 US states with the highest percentage of inbound and outbound moves in 2022. Movers once again preferred Florida, the fastest-growing state in 2022. The inbound list is topped by North Carolina, while the outbound list is led by Illinois, after four straight years by New York. For the first time in the last decade, Oregon was among the top outbound states following three consecutive years of balanced status.
Best Inbound 2022
North Carolina
Maine
Arkansas
Florida
Montana
Washington
New Mexico
Tennessee
Alabama
New Hampshire
Best Outbound 2022
Illinois
Indiana
New York
Iowa
Michigan
Minnesota
Pennsylvania
Wyoming
Mississippi
Oregon
International household goods moves increased 41.5% in 2022, showing the impact of eased travel restrictions and increased mobility on international migration patterns. Based on data reflecting the total number of international household moves completed in 2022, the top international origins and destinations were:
The top 10 origins outside the US
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Korea (Democratic Republic of)
United Kingdom
France
India
Netherlands
China
Singapore
The top 10 places to go outside the US
Japan
United Kingdom
Germany
Korea (Democratic Republic of)
Thailand
Spain
China
France
Australia
Bahrain
Canadian Provinces
Data reflecting US interstate and cross-border moves shows three Canadian provinces changed from 2021 to 2022. During 2021 and 2022, Alberta changed to inbound and Québec to outbound, respectively.
What determines status
State or province status is determined by the threshold value, which is the total number of shipments multiplied by 0.55 (i.e., in a state with 100 moves, at least 55 must be outgoing). Other states or provinces with balanced outbound/inbound numbers are classified as balanced. During the study, both cross-border (from the US to Canada) and interprovincial shipments are examined. The international moves indicate both states and countries where Atlas World Group International sent the most shipments.
The full results can be found in the 2022 Migration Patterns Study.
