If America’s moving patterns can be considered an accurate economic indicator, then Atlas Van Lines, one of the nation’s largest movers, has some good news: The U.S. economy is rebounding.
Atlas Van Lines has been collecting data on the origins and destinations of interstate moves for 10 years. According to its 2012 study, there are more “balanced” states in the Midwest than in recent times. (For a state to be considered balanced, nearly as many people have to move into the state as leave.) That hasn’t been the case for the last few years as more people have left Midwestern states in search of jobs.
Jack Griffin, president of Atlas World Group, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the shift from more people leaving Midwestern states “is a promising sign that the economy could be stabilizing.”
Southwestern and Mid-Atlantic coastal states are still popular destinations: Texas and New Mexico continue to attract new residents, as well as Virginia and North Carolina.
For the seventh consecutive year, Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of inbound moves, 63 percent. North Dakota and North Carolina were right behind the nation’s capital as a prime destination. Wyoming, at 59 percent, had the highest percentage of residents moving out, followed by Nebraska and New York.
