Connecticut showed up more than once on our list of most expensive states to raise a family, so it might not be too surprising that people are heading elsewhere. The United Van Lines study shows that 54.4% of their cross-state trips to Connecticut involved carrying people out of it, and a Bloomberg analysis of Census data reached a similar conclusion. While local officials say that school enrollment is up, the state has definitely seen a net decrease in population.
According to current trends, Connecticut's population has dropped steadily for the last several years. Unlike some states on this list, a comeback seems unlikely for the Constitution State. Retirement, family, and lifestyle are the biggest contributors to people moving away.
In 2024, 49.2% of Missouri's residents packed their bags, with 31.10% reporting their family as their reason for leaving the state. While the outbound percentage is significantly smaller than Connecticut's, it's evident that Missouri lacks closeness for families.
Despite the recent loss, according to the Missouri Office of Administration, Missouri is predicted to have a population of 6.8 million people by 2030, which would be a 21% increase. Perhaps, in 2030, we'll be talking about the percentage of people coming into the state rather than going out.
You might be confused to see Utah on this list if you keep up with the fastest-growing states in the country. While it’s true that Utah’s overall population has been booming, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute ??????blog, this metric focuses on domestic migration. The bulk of Utah’s population growth can be attributed to births; it's one of the fastest-growing states. However, its outbound percentage is just a hair larger than its inbound.
Natural increase, or the birth rate, have managed to keep Utah growing, despite the people leaving the state each year. While the state has factors continually increasing its population, the outbound still exceeds the inbound percentage by 0.2%. Job opportunity accounts for 43.90% of the population moving out of the state.
Both family and job are cited as their reason for leaving at 26.80%. Retirement rounds out the rest of the reasons for the change at 17.50%, while health, lifestyle, and cost are low enough that they don't have much significant weight on the outbound percentage.
Family and job aren't the only reasons Michigan's outbound percentage is quite high. Residents leave for better economic opportunities, warmer climates, or improved quality of life. While the state offers natural beauty and affordable living, challenges like job market stagnation and harsh winters drive migration.
According to the Pelican Institute, Louisiana saw an increase in 2024 after consecutive years of decline. However, residents are still leaving for better opportunities, and WWLTV even states, "Louisiana is losing residents faster than any state in the country."
Of the 54.1% who moved out of the state in 2024, 44.40% cited their job (or lack thereof) as the reason.
A slight majority of Maryland’s cross-border moves were to out-of-state locations instead of to internal ones. Community pride in Baltimore, the state’s largest city, has taken a hit recently, so it may be understanding for residents to want to explore other options elsewhere.
However, not all folks are leaving Maryland for the same reason. In 2024, the top three reasons for moving out of state were family (27.40%), retirement (22.40%), and job opportunities (21.40%).
Why would anyone ever want to leave beautiful Hawaii? It may seem strange, but this scenic state has been one of the hardest hit by residents leaving.
The two most common reasons for leaving among islanders were a combination of difficulty finding housing and the cost of living. Hawaii currently has the highest median home value at $683,470. Overall, Hawaii saw a decrease in residents at about 0.1% in 2020, according to Hawaii Star.
Roughly 62.50% of outbound residents cite job opportunities as the reason for their move. Ages 45 - 64 account for more than 70% of the total outbound percentage.
Besides jobs, retirement makes up 25% of North Dakota residents' reasons for leaving the state. Many residents leave in search of more diverse opportunities and warmer climates. A snowy terrain probably isn't the best environment for your daily commute.
Despite its supposed status as a hipster playground, people are leaving New Jersey in droves. Based on moving van traffic into and out of the state, nearly 66.9% of movers were outbound, which means more people fled New Jersey last year than any other state in the nation. We'll take the high road and refrain from the easy jokes.
In particular, elders (65 and older) represent the largest demographic currently heading for the exits. All in all, New Jersey has been one of the hardest-hit northeastern states in terms of population decline. For most people, the biggest reason for leaving the state is retirement.
Considering that fully half of the 10 most expensive cities to raise a family are all located in New York, it might not be surprising that people are leaving. New York City has a reputation as one of the world's greatest cities, but real estate costs are so expensive they have to be explained away on TV sitcoms—which doesn't bode well for real-life people trying to live there.
Of people who hired a moving truck in 2024, 59% were leaving New York, versus the 41% who were moving into the state. Family (25.90%), retirement (20.80%), and job (15.70%) are the top three reasons New Yorkers are leaving the city that never sleeps.
About 58% of California residents moved out of state in 2024, and it turns out it's not because of all the wildfires or earthquakes but because of family reasons.
You would think the reason for leaving would be the high cost of living, but only 9% was cited for lifestyle, while jobs (21.20%) and family (29.30%) were the two biggest reasons for leaving the state.
Like many other states across the country, Wisconsin is seeing its population centers grow while its rural areas are losing residents. So, while many residents are moving internally to large cities, when looking just at cross-border moves, Wisconsin comes out on the negative side.
At 34.50%, job opportunities make up the majority of the total outbound residents (46.6%). Luckily for Wisconsin, the inbound percentage is higher than the outbound one at 53.4%. Still, the number of residents leaving Wisconsin is enough to make some heads turn.
Montana, as of 2024, has 48.8% of its residents choosing to move away. Many of the residents leaving Montana are 65+, so retirement is a huge factor here at 19.20%. The other major reason for leaving is family, at 30.80%.
Coincidentally, 16.70% of those moving to Montana are moving for a new job. So the consensus here is that Montana is a land of opportunity for those just starting out in their career, but when it comes time to retire, they move back to wherever their family resides.
In fact, Iowa is doing better than some of these other states, with a higher inbound percentage than outbound at 53.9%. However, internal growth factors in Iowa remain steady but slow. The total outbound in 2024 was 46.1%.
While some cities in Iowa have seen growth over the last decade, this upswing seems to be isolated to metropolitan areas. Rural communities have borne the brunt of citizens leaving the state. Residents are leaving mainly for jobs (38.60%) and family (23.80).
Mississippi’s population has been relatively stagnant for some time, especially considering the boom in moves to the Southern U.S. In fact, it was recently passed up by its neighbor, Arkansas, in total population. Much of the outbound moves can probably be attributed to it having one of the lowest incomes per capita in the country. That being said, total outbound increased a bit in 2024 at just 56.1%.
This lack of relative wealth in Mississippi would explain why almost 43.90% of respondents said they were leaving the state for job reasons. Other factors that could contribute to leaving trailed far behind this clear majority.
Ohio has long struggled to keep people from moving out. In fact, of all Ohio's moving traffic, 32.50% of the relocations were for job reasons, and 22.40% were for family.
According to nbc4i.com, Ohio's population is projected to decline by about 5.7%, or 675,000 people, from 2020 to 2050. Evidently, Ohio is experiencing a staggering decline in residents.
In Pennsylvania, many people are leaving due to job opportunities. As a matter of fact, in 2024, 28.60% of outbound residents cited job opportunities as the reason for leaving. Another 21.20% cited family as their reasons for leaving.
According to the Center for Rural PA, Pennsylvania is losing residents at a faster rate than expected. Rural areas of the state are getting the brunt of this population decrease, and population shrinkage is expected to continue for the next thirty years.
Kansas's percentage of movers leaving the state this past year was 47.6%. Locals cite slow recovery from the economic downturn. Around 48.50% cited jobs as the reason for leaving.
However, economics might not be the only thing contributing to this loss of residents. According to the United States Census Bureau, the median age for a Kansas resident is 36, which points to an increasingly older population.
As is the nationwide trend, southern states have seen an uptick in population growth. That means Massachusetts comes out as a net loser when examining in-state and out-of-state moves. Part of the contributing factor could be that Massachusetts has a cost of living that is nearly 44% greater than the U.S. average.
The main reason for residents leaving is job opportunities at 24.50%, and family comes in a close second at 24.10%. When you compare the outbound and inbound percentages, the difference is stifling: a whopping 15.8%.
Indianapolis, the state’s capital, was the main driver of Indiana’s growth in the past few years. The rural areas of the state, meanwhile, are having a tough time. Those particularly reliant upon manufacturing saw a population decline. People living in counties close to the state border seem to have crossed over.
Indiana has one of the lowest outbound percentages. Its total inbound is 55.3%, a drastic difference compared to the outbound. However, residents are still leaving the state, with jobs being the number one reason at 47.20%.
Illinois has been in the top five for several years, and this year it comes in at #2 with 59.9% of movers leaving because of the state of the economy.
Despite this drop in residents, Illinois is still the sixth-largest state in the nation, population-wise. This is largely thanks to the size of Chicago, but with consistent movement out of the state, it's unclear how long they will be able to maintain their position.
West Virginia is losing residents, with over 62.5% of them being outbound last reported for 2019. And, unlike in some areas, there’s one major reason why people are leaving.
That reason is jobs or a lack thereof. In fact, according to surveys, the next most common reason for leaving West Virginia (jobs) is 51.85% in 2020.
Population growth in Virginia is at its lowest since the 1920s. Almost 44.8% of its residents are leaving the state.
As far as reasons why people are leaving Virginia in droves, family takes the lead at 30%. Some former Virginians have pointed to traffic, severe weather, and the cost of living as reasons to say goodbye.
Kentucky isn’t currently getting much love from its residents. A full 51.3% of people living there are on the way out.
The most common reason for leaving the state is a lack of employment opportunities. This, combined with low wages, makes Kentucky a place that people want to leave.
Minnesotans may be friendly, but they’re not too thrilled about where they live. 46% of residents are making a move elsewhere.
Just as with many states on this list, where family seem to be the reason for leaving with 29.50% citing it as the main reason. Reasons of job and retirement were the next biggest factors.
