New Jersey, the most densely-populated state, has been one of the states people have been fleeing rather than flocking to during the pandemic. According to United Van Lines’ National Migration Study, New Jersey topped the list of outbound locations in 2020 — and not for the first time. The state topped the outbound list in the past three years and has been in the top 10 for the past decade.
But where do people from New Jersey move to the most? To determine residents’ pre-pandemic relocation patterns, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed state-to-state migration flows from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. This data records the number of people living in other states (or Washington D.C.) in 2019 who had lived in New Jersey the previous year. (All data on the list is from the ACS and rankings are out of a universe of 49 states and the District of Columbia.)
Click here to find out where people from New Jersey are moving to the most
Well, it turns out that people from the Garden State don’t go that far when they move — at least they didn’t in 2019, before the pandemic. Nearly a third who moved from New Jersey that year ended up in neighboring New York or Pennsylvania. Another 20% remained on the East Coast but moved further south, to warmer Florida and North Carolina. (Find out where people from Pennsylvania are moving the most.)
In fact, all but two of the top 10 destinations for people who moved out of New Jersey in 2019 were along the East Coast — those two exceptions being Texas and California. About 4.5% of movers from New Jersey decided to go to the Lone Star State, and 4.7% moved across the country to the Golden State. (Find out where people from California are moving to the most.)
The reason most people from New Jersey cited for moving out of state in 2019 was for a job (35%), with retirement close behind at 33%, and family at 22%, according to the United Van Lines survey. The reasons were slightly different in 2020, with 32% citing retirement as reason for leaving the state, 28% citing family, and 23% citing jobs.
50. Alaska
> People from New Jersey who moved to Alaska in 2019: None reported (0% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 34,031 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 722,063
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49. Idaho
> People from New Jersey who moved to Idaho in 2019: None reported (0% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 78,730 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,764,327
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48. Montana
> People from New Jersey who moved to Montana in 2019: None reported (0% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 40,862 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,056,994
47. Iowa
> People from New Jersey who moved to Iowa in 2019: 85 (0% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 72,651 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 3,121,385
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46. Nebraska
> People from New Jersey who moved to Nebraska in 2019: 110 (0% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 46,064 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,910,711
45. Mississippi
> People from New Jersey who moved to Mississippi in 2019: 183 (0.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 61,683 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 2,943,737
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44. Oregon
> People from New Jersey who moved to Oregon in 2019: 185 (0.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 129,921 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 4,178,578
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43. Wyoming
> People from New Jersey who moved to Wyoming in 2019: 187 (0.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 30,247 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 572,884
42. Louisiana
> People from New Jersey who moved to Louisiana in 2019: 229 (0.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 67,640 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 4,595,111
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41. Wisconsin
> People from New Jersey who moved to Wisconsin in 2019: 331 (0.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 107,973 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 5,760,481
40. South Dakota
> People from New Jersey who moved to South Dakota in 2019: 349 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 26,934 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 872,708
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39. Arkansas
> People from New Jersey who moved to Arkansas in 2019: 420 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 59,723 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 2,989,054
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38. Maine
> People from New Jersey who moved to Maine in 2019: 422 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 36,129 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,331,656
37. Oklahoma
> People from New Jersey who moved to Oklahoma in 2019: 467 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 101,844 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 3,907,258
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36. Kansas
> People from New Jersey who moved to Kansas in 2019: 509 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 94,648 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 2,879,518
35. Kentucky
> People from New Jersey who moved to Kentucky in 2019: 509 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 100,057 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 4,421,512
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34. West Virginia
> People from New Jersey who moved to West Virginia in 2019: 527 (0.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 39,548 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,773,280
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33. Utah
> People from New Jersey who moved to Utah in 2019: 588 (0.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 95,608 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 3,162,102
32. Alabama
> People from New Jersey who moved to Alabama in 2019: 599 (0.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 104,780 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 4,849,509
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31. Minnesota
> People from New Jersey who moved to Minnesota in 2019: 602 (0.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 106,920 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 5,575,235
30. Hawaii
> People from New Jersey who moved to Hawaii in 2019: 668 (0.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 49,708 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,396,819
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29. Vermont
> People from New Jersey who moved to Vermont in 2019: 799 (0.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 21,212 (0.04% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 617,560
28. New Mexico
> People from New Jersey who moved to New Mexico in 2019: 811 (0.4% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 55,545 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 2,073,628
27. Washington
> People from New Jersey who moved to Washington in 2019: 824 (0.4% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 231,956 (0% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 7,527,366
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26. Nevada
> People from New Jersey who moved to Nevada in 2019: 960 (0.4% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 132,950 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 3,048,602
25. New Hampshire
> People from New Jersey who moved to New Hampshire in 2019: 1,012 (0.4% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 50,288 (0.02% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,350,155
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24. Michigan
> People from New Jersey who moved to Michigan in 2019: 1,267 (0.6% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 132,008 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 9,880,758
23. Indiana
> People from New Jersey who moved to Indiana in 2019: 1,391 (0.6% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 151,443 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 6,656,971
22. Rhode Island
> People from New Jersey who moved to Rhode Island in 2019: 1,420 (0.6% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 34,984 (0.04% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 1,050,602
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21. Missouri
> People from New Jersey who moved to Missouri in 2019: 1,515 (0.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 152,345 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 6,069,697
20. North Dakota
> People from New Jersey who moved to North Dakota in 2019: 1,713 (0.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 36,668 (0.05% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 750,501
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19. Tennessee
> People from New Jersey who moved to Tennessee in 2019: 2,382 (1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 196,765 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 6,754,461
18. District of Columbia
> People from New Jersey who moved to District of Columbia in 2019: 2,758 (1.2% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 58,879 (0.05% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 697,556
17. Arizona
> People from New Jersey who moved to Arizona in 2019: 3,221 (1.4% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 253,295 (0.01% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 7,200,620
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16. Illinois
> People from New Jersey who moved to Illinois in 2019: 3,562 (1.6% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 190,627 (0.02% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 12,536,539
15. Colorado
> People from New Jersey who moved to Colorado in 2019: 3,677 (1.6% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 240,600 (0.02% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 5,701,658
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14. Ohio
> People from New Jersey who moved to Ohio in 2019: 5,205 (2.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 205,542 (0.03% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 11,556,037
13. Connecticut
> People from New Jersey who moved to Connecticut in 2019: 5,297 (2.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 90,044 (0.06% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 3,531,986
12. Massachusetts
> People from New Jersey who moved to Massachusetts in 2019: 5,638 (2.5% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 144,079 (0.04% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 6,828,110
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11. South Carolina
> People from New Jersey who moved to South Carolina in 2019: 6,233 (2.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 176,008 (0.04% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 5,092,727
10. Delaware
> People from New Jersey who moved to Delaware in 2019: 6,955 (3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 38,014 (0.18% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 964,817
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9. Maryland
> People from New Jersey who moved to Maryland in 2019: 8,021 (3.5% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 141,766 (0.06% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 5,979,602
8. Georgia
> People from New Jersey who moved to Georgia in 2019: 8,455 (3.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 284,541 (0.03% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 10,499,808
7. Virginia
> People from New Jersey who moved to Virginia in 2019: 9,511 (4.1% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 264,855 (0.04% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 8,439,982
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6. Texas
> People from New Jersey who moved to Texas in 2019: 10,319 (4.5% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 559,661 (0.02% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 28,642,658
5. California
> People from New Jersey who moved to California in 2019: 10,812 (4.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 480,204 (0.02% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 39,084,048
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4. North Carolina
> People from New Jersey who moved to North Carolina in 2019: 15,297 (6.7% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 315,215 (0.05% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 10,371,906
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3. Florida
> People from New Jersey who moved to Florida in 2019: 28,222 (12.3% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 601,611 (0.05% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 21,269,409
2. New York
> People from New Jersey who moved to New York in 2019: 31,942 (13.9% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 254,806 (0.13% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 19,240,920
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1. Pennsylvania
> People from New Jersey who moved to Pennsylvania in 2019: 43,295 (18.9% of all outbound NJ residents)
> Total new residents from out of state: 267,465 (0.16% from NJ)
> Population, age 1 and up: 12,670,245
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