A U-Haul truck is seen stopped at a traffic light in Boston's Copley Square. iStock photo
Annual analyses by moving companies United Van Lines and U-Haul both found that Massachusetts is again ahead of most of its peers – in losing movers to more affordable places in 2023.
U-Haul saw Massachusetts’ net loss of one-way movers increase, landing it in 49th place, just above California. That state has seen the largest net loss of one-way movers nationwide for four years in a row. Others at the bottom end of this net-loss camp: Michigan, New Jersey and Illinois. Conversely, Texas retained its spot for the sixth year in a row as the state with the biggest net gain in the kind of one-way, less wealthy, do-it-yourself movers that U-Haul serves. Other high-growth states: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“While one-way transactions in 2023 remained below the record-breaking levels we witnessed immediately following the pandemic, we continued to see many of the same geographical trends from U-Haul customers moving between states,” John Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a statement. “Migration to states in the Southeast and Southwest is still very pronounced. Demand for one-way equipment out of certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast mirrors what we have seen during recent moving cycles. Wherever DIY customers go, and whatever mobility and self-storage needs they have in 2024, U-Haul will be there with solutions.”
United Van Lines’ analysis of its own traffic also put Massachusetts in its list of “top outbound states,” this time at eighth place. New Jersey led that list, followed by Illinois, North Dakota, New York and Michigan. In total, 56.6 percent of United Van Lines’ cross-border trips starting or ending Massachusetts were outbound.
Top “inbound” states identified by the company were: Vermont, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Arkansas and Rhode Island.
“We are continuing to see the trend that Americans are moving to more affordable, lower-density areas across the country, with many heading to Southern states,” United Van Lines Vice President of Corporate Communications Eily Cummings said in a statement. “Movers are also becoming more strategic with their planning, as relocation continues to be driven by factors such as the price of housing, regional climates, urban planning and job growth.”
The company also surveyed its customers to find out who they are and why they moved.
The biggest reason for United Van Lines customers to leave Massachusetts, at over 28 percent of customers, was for job changes, followed by 19 percent leaving for family reasons, 18 percent due to retirement and 16 percent due to “lifestyle” changes. The largest pool of outbound Massachusetts movers in the survey were seniors older ages 65 and up, at nearly 27 percent. Those in early middle age (35-44) and late middle age (55-64) each made up a little more than 20 percent of respondents. The lion’s share, nearly 58 percent, of survey respondents made over $150,000 a year, and three-fourths made over $100,000 per year.
Still, it appears that the pandemic-era moving boom is waning. Redfin economists’ analysis of search traffic on their listings portal site showed the share of homebuyers searching for a new home in a different metro has fallen down to less than one-quarter, below the share observed in November 2022 and the lowest share in 18 months, after peaking in August. The analysis cited falling flexibility in remote-work arrangements and rising home prices in popular migration destinations, while noting that out-of-state migration was still above pre-pandemic levels. The researchers pinpointed Portland, Maine as the biggest destination for Boston-area buyers looking out-of-state.
