Although the nation is experiencing a significant mortgage and housing crisis, there’s no doubt that Americans are still on the move.
Mayflower Transit just released its 2008 Customer Relocation Study, which tracks why people are relocating, as well as the most popular destinations.
Among the top reasons for moving according to the study are work factors. More than 50 percent of respondents moved for a job in 2008: 37.1 percent of customers relocated for a new job, while 13.2 percent moved due to a company transfer.
Relocating for retirement continues to drop as only 28.6 percent moved after retiring, compared to 30.4 percent in 2007 and 31.8 percent in 2006. In addition, 21.1 percent of customers moved because of health or personal reasons.
Slightly less than half of all respondents (44 percent) indicated that they have only moved once in their lives. Approximately, 29 percent have moved twice and 16.3 percent have moved three times.
Washington, D.C., continues to be a popular destination, with 68.4 percent of inbound moves in that area. Kentucky (62.5 percent), Vermont (62.5 percent) and Nevada (61.7 percent) were identified as popular destinations, with inbound rates of at least 60 percent in each state.
Who’s packing up and leaving?
In contrast, Nebraska ranked as the top state to leave, with 64.1 percent of outbound moves in the area. Michigan was a close second, with 62.9 percent of outbound moves. New Jersey (59.8 percent) and North Dakota (59.2 percent) also ranked as high outbound states.