By Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square
The number of Americans on the move might have reached a 65-year-low in 2019, but Census Bureau data shows Pennsylvania ranked among the top states for both attracting and losing residents.
A recent report by STORAGECafé, which bills itself as a storage rental marketplace, reports that Pennsylvania is the 10th most popular destination for people moving from another state. In 2018, the state attracted 253,000 newcomers.
Pennsylvania attracted more residents from New Jersey than anywhere else. The site reported that 44,000 people crossed the Delaware River to make the Keystone State their new home.
Yet, the report, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data, indicates only six states lost more residents. Pennsylvania saw 240,832 move out, with 17,000 moving next door to Ohio.
Part of the reason why so many may be making those moves is due to the fact they’re inexpensive. Moving the possessions from a two-bedroom home in New Jersey to Pennsylvania cost, on average, about $2,400. That was the least expensive interstate move.
Pennsylvanians moving to Ohio paid average moving costs of about $2,500. Nearly 10,000 people moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware, at an average cost of up to $3,700 per move.
STORAGECafé worked with United Van Lines in determining the moving costs and did not factor packing or insurance.
Earlier this year, the Pew Charitable Trusts released a study about the migration patterns for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city. The study noted that about 60,000 residents leave the city annually, roughly 10,000 more than it attracts.
Of those who left the region, the main reason for moving elsewhere was because of job opportunities. Pew research indicated that 44 percent moved away for work; the next highest response – moving closer to friends and family – garnered just 11 percent of respondents.
Pew said since it was the first time such a study had been conducted, it was uncertain if these issues are lingering ones within the city.
“What is clear is that there is not one overarching reason for relocating,” the Pew report states. “Most of those who left Philadelphia characterized themselves not as fleeing the city but, rather, as seeking new opportunities elsewhere.”
The Census Bureau reported that 31.4 million Americans moved in 2019. That’s the lowest total since 1954, and the percentage of Americans who moved, just 9.8 was an all-time low since the bureau began tracking residential moves in 1947.
Of those who moved, about 4.6 million moved to a new state.
