Census data, reports find that Arizona among top states for relocation in 2016
Jan 2, 2017, 2:51 PM
(Flickr/Ken Lund)
(Flickr/Ken Lund)
PHOENIX — People are packing up and moving away from their home state — and coming to Arizona. Arizona ranks fourth in the nation in net migration rate, according to the latest Census data.
The data reflects a recent report from Allied Van Lines, which found that Arizona was the second-highest state for relocation in 2016.
The census data found Arizona had a net migration rate of 61,544 in 2016, compared to 45,934 in 2015. Arizona also ranked at No. 4 in the nation for net migration in 2015.
Net migration is the difference in immigrants and emigrants of an area in a certain period of time.
Arizona ranked just below Florida, Texas and Washington for net migration in 2016, the census data found. North Carolina rounded out the top five.
The census data was just one recent indicator that found that Arizona had a growth in migration during 2016.
The Allied Van Lines Magnet Report found that more than 1,135 people moved to Arizona from other states in 2016. The state ranked just below Florida, which gained 1,316 people throughout the year.
Arizona also beat out Texas, the third-highest relocation state, and unseated it from its No. 1 spot for the first time in a dozen years. Texas only saw relocation gains of 891 in 2016, compared to 2,558 in 2015.
Lesli Bertoli, general manager and vice president of Allied Van Lines, said in the report that Arizona, which ranked No. 3 in last year’s report, has been a “strong contender” for the list.
“Texas has been a powerhouse magnet state for more than a decade, but traditional retirement states of Florida and Arizona are always strong contenders for the list,” Bertoli said. “For the first time in recent history, both Florida and Arizona were able to unseat Texas from its top-spot position.”
North Carolina and Utah rounded out the top five states for relocation in 2016.
Illinois and California ranked among the two highest states for outbound movement in 2016. Nearly 1,285 people moved out of Illinois this year, with California following shortly behind at 1,060 outbound moves. Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey rounded out the list of the top five least magnetic states this year.
The report also found that the country that most Americans moved to was Canada, with a majority of citizens leaving for Ontario.
