More people are leaving NJ — Here’s where they’re going

I love living in New Jersey, but apparently, not everyone does, since we were once again the most moved out of state in the country, according to United Van Lines.

The biggest reason for moving was employment; 40% of the outbound moves took place because of employment issues.

Another 28% cited family as the reason for the move, whether it was getting married, having kids or just being closer to existing family.

The third largest category was “lifestyle” which can cover things like weather or crime.

So, where are all those people going?

The number one state for New Jerseyans to move to is South Carolina. We’ve all heard the anecdotes about new developments going up in South Carolina and all the new residents being from New Jersey, or that the grocery stores there now carry pork roll.

Next most popular state for moves is Florida, which has been a haven for retirees and those who don’t like cold weather for years. They also have lower taxes.

Vermont is the third most commonly moved-to state for people from New Jersey. I don’t know why that is because the weather is worse; I don’t know, maybe some people just want to get away from everybody.

Now we get back to the southern, low-tax states, as Texas is next. I think the better weather and lower taxes explain that one.

Apparently, some people don’t mind moving a long way, because Arizona is the fifth most popular state for fleeing Garden Staters. Arizona is another state popular with retirees, with its warm weather, plentiful golf courses, and low cost of living.

The new United Van Lines migration report should be out soon and we’ll see if New Jersey fared any better.

For what it’s worth, Atlas Van Lines also does an annual migration report, and in their research New Jersey wasn’t even in the top ten of states with the highest percentage of out-bound moves in 2023. (Illinois is #1 in that report).

The Atlas Van Lines study was released this month.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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