2007 Migration Patterns
Based on 92,743 Interstate and Cross-Border Household Goods Moves from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007.
(Click on individual state/province for 10-year historical data.)
As it does every January, Atlas Van Lines analyzes data on the origins and destinations of interstate moves during the last 12 months. During 2007, Atlas provided household goods transportation for 92,743 relocating families in North America. Based on those numbers we have made the following observations.
Americans continue to expand westward and flee the Rust Belt states. Washington D.C. saw the highest percentage of inbound traffic for the second straight year, while Ohio had the highest percentage of outbound traffic.
Westward Expansion Continues
Eight of 13 states classified as inbound lie west of the Mississippi River; four are west of the Rockies in the increasingly popular Northwest. For the first time since 1995, Washington became an inbound state, joining Nevada, Oregon and Alaska. Washington and Alaska recorded the second- and third-highest percentages, respectively, of inbound traffic. California experienced the fewest outbound moves in 10 years.
Southwest Fiesta
Texas, Colorado and New Mexico are popular destinations. All three are inbound states, but Texas welcomed the most Atlas-transported residents of any state in the nation.
Midwestern Woes
Job losses in the northern Midwest states are likely the primary reason that Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio all recorded significantly more outbound than inbound traffic. Ohio, which lost 3,841 households, had the highest percentage of outbound traffic and the fifth-highest number of outbound moves. The top five states for relocating Buckeyes were Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina and Georgia. Indiana and Michigan recorded the third- and fifth-highest outbound percentages, respectively.
Northeast Shuffle
The most popular destination in the Northeast is New Hampshire, registering as inbound for the seventh time in the past 10 years. The least popular states in the region were New York and New Jersey, which had the second- and fourth-highest outbound percentages, respectively.
Southeast Stability
Traffic out of Louisiana and Mississippi lessened this year; each registered as balanced after spending nine and eight of the last 10 years, respectively, as outbound states. Migration to surrounding states Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Georgia abated, taking them from inbound to balanced status. For the fifth time in six years, Alabama registered as inbound.
Inbound, Outbound, Balanced?
Atlas classifies states as inbound, outbound or balanced according to a threshold value, determined by this formula:
Total Shipments x .55 = Threshold Value
- If the number of outbound shipments exceeds the threshold, the state is classified as outbound.
- If the number of inbound shipments exceeds the threshold, the state is considered inbound.
- If neither inbound nor outbound shipments exceed the threshold, the state is termed balanced.
