The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a wave of migration that temporarily depressed coastal housing markets and exploded others. But nearly five years after the pandemic began, new trends are emerging that might surprise you.
That is according to an annual study by United Van Lines that examines movers where they come from, where they are going and why. The top destination – West Virginia – is generally not seen as a hotspot.
Of the people who moved to or from the state, more than 65% were incoming. And of the six reasons for moving – retirement, health, family, lifestyle, job and expense – 34.6% of people moving to West Virginia cited family and 30.8% cited a job. Among those leaving the state, retirement and jobs were mentioned by almost half of respondents.
Since the pandemic, population inflows in West Virginia have consistently exceeded outflows, but before the pandemic, inflows and outflows were about 50/50.
West Virginia follows a trend among southeastern states that have become more attractive to movers, as five of the top 10 inbound states are in this region. Delaware, South Carolina, the District of Columbia and North Carolina round out the top five. Alabama, Rhode Island, Oregon, Arkansas and Arizona round out the top 10.
Inflows into the southeastern states have continued a post-pandemic trend that was weak or even non-existent before 2020.
The states experiencing more population outflows than inflows are also following post-pandemic trends. The state with the highest population outflow is New Jersey, while neighboring New York is number 3. But it’s worth noting that the top reason movers give for leaving is proximity to family.
It is also worth examining to what extent the outflows in these two states are related to the pandemic. United Van Lines data from the pre-pandemic years is similar, suggesting that the “flight to the suburbs” and an exodus from big cities were stories that weren’t really new trends.
Illinois, California and Massachusetts rounded out the top five states in terms of population outflows. People leaving Illinois cited retirement as the top reason, while those leaving Massachusetts and California cited family and jobs, respectively.
People moving to West Virginia are likely overjoyed with the state of the housing market. According to data from Altos Research, the median home price in the state is about $240,000, though that’s up from $160,000 in early 2021.
Inward migration does not appear to deplete the housing stock. While supply is down significantly compared to the start of the pandemic, available single-family homes for sale in West Virginia have hovered between 2,000 and 2,800 on a seasonal basis.
The other four southeastern states in the top 10 follow similar patterns: modest but still affordable housing with a post-pandemic decline in inventory.
