PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon ranked second in the country in 2017 as a destination for people who moved into a new state, according to tracking statistics released by moving company United Van Lines.
Oregon has ranked in the Top 3 for the past five years, placing third on the list in 2016 after three consecutive years in first place in 2015, 2014 and 2013.
Of all state-to-state moves in Oregon last year, 65 percent were inbound. In a press release, United Van Lines said the most-common reasons for moving to Oregon were company transfers (49 percent) and proximity to family (24 percent).
The 41st annual National Movers Study, which track customers’ state-to-state migration patterns, found that Americans continue to head west, while parts of the Northeast and Midwest are losing people.
Three of the top four destination states are in the West, with Idaho and Nevada joining Oregon. The outlier was Vermont, a Northeast state that ranked No. 1 with the highest percentage of inbound migration in 2017.
About 68 percent of state-to-state moves in Vermont last year were inbound. Oregon ranked second in inbound migration at 65 percent, followed by Nevada (61 percent), Washington (59 percent) and Colorado (56 percent)
At the other end of the spectrum are Illinois and New Jersey, which shared the highest percent of outbound moves at 63 percent, followed by New York (61 percent) and Connecticut (57 percent).
“This year’s data reflects longer-term trends of movement to the western and southern states, especially to those where housing costs are relatively lower, climates are more temperate and job growth has been at or above the national average, among other factors,” said Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We’re also seeing continued migration to the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West as young professionals and retirees leave California.”
Moving In
The top inbound states of 2017 were:
1. Vermont
2. Oregon
3. Idaho
4. Nevada
5. South Dakota
6. Washington
7. South Carolina
8. North Carolina
9. Colorado
10. Alabama
Moving Out
The top outbound states for 2017 were:
1. Illinois
2. New Jersey
3. New York
4. Connecticut
5. Kansas
6. Massachusetts
7. Ohio
8. Kentucky
9. Utah
10. Wisconsin
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
© 2018 KGW-TV
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