Special Report
Where People From Arizona Are Moving to the Most
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Even in the best possible circumstances, moving to a new home can be stressful. Perhaps in no small part for this reason, in recent decades Americans have become increasingly likely to stay put. Fewer than 30 million people moved within the U.S. in each of the last three years, compared to over 40 million per year for much of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While a small minority of moves in the U.S. are necessitated by an eviction or natural disaster, most are voluntary — most often for reasons related to housing. These include wanting a larger home, a more affordable home, or a home in a better neighborhood. Other commonly cited explanations include work and family.
No matter the reason, most Americans do not have to go far to get what they want. Since record keeping began in 1948, over 60% of movers remained in the same county, and over 80% in the same state. Lately, however, a larger share of American movers are crossing state lines.
According to estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the number of Americans who moved to a different state has been steadily rising for over a decade. More than 8.2 million Americans moved to a different state in 2022, the most of any year since at least 2010.
The historic number of moves across state lines in 2022 was driven in part by moves out of Arizona. An estimated 204,700 Americans left Arizona in 2022 for a different part of the country.
Some states are much more popular destinations for people from Arizona than others. Across all 49 other states and Washington D.C., the influx of former-Arizona residents in 2022 ranged from about 140 to over 27,400.
Rank | Geography | New residents from Arizona in 2022 | Share of all outbound moves from Arizona in 2022 (%) | Share of all inbound moves from Arizona in 2022 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
50 | Maine | 138 | 0.07 | 0.33 |
49 | West Virginia | 240 | 0.12 | 0.55 |
48 | Vermont | 264 | 0.13 | 1.01 |
47 | Louisiana | 315 | 0.15 | 0.42 |
46 | New Hampshire | 430 | 0.21 | 0.86 |
45 | North Dakota | 535 | 0.26 | 1.55 |
44 | Rhode Island | 662 | 0.32 | 1.64 |
43 | District of Columbia | 712 | 0.35 | 1.10 |
42 | Delaware | 949 | 0.46 | 2.06 |
41 | New Jersey | 1,077 | 0.53 | 0.62 |
40 | Alabama | 1,202 | 0.59 | 0.86 |
39 | Connecticut | 1,267 | 0.62 | 0.87 |
38 | Maryland | 1,439 | 0.70 | 1.03 |
37 | South Dakota | 1,446 | 0.71 | 4.62 |
36 | Kansas | 1,519 | 0.74 | 1.61 |
35 | Alaska | 1,645 | 0.80 | 4.50 |
34 | Arkansas | 1,776 | 0.87 | 2.06 |
33 | Georgia | 1,798 | 0.88 | 0.55 |
32 | Mississippi | 1,848 | 0.90 | 2.64 |
31 | Wyoming | 2,132 | 1.04 | 7.36 |
30 | Massachusetts | 2,251 | 1.10 | 1.32 |
29 | Iowa | 2,264 | 1.11 | 3.13 |
28 | Montana | 2,415 | 1.18 | 5.01 |
27 | Kentucky | 2,618 | 1.28 | 2.31 |
26 | South Carolina | 2,628 | 1.28 | 1.20 |
25 | Hawaii | 2,750 | 1.34 | 4.89 |
24 | Wisconsin | 3,474 | 1.70 | 2.88 |
23 | Virginia | 3,478 | 1.70 | 1.30 |
22 | Missouri | 3,576 | 1.75 | 2.19 |
21 | Idaho | 3,633 | 1.77 | 4.13 |
20 | Nebraska | 3,661 | 1.79 | 7.45 |
19 | Michigan | 3,772 | 1.84 | 2.39 |
18 | Minnesota | 4,234 | 2.07 | 3.62 |
17 | Tennessee | 4,584 | 2.24 | 2.03 |
16 | New York | 4,661 | 2.28 | 1.55 |
15 | Oklahoma | 4,822 | 2.36 | 4.09 |
14 | Indiana | 4,953 | 2.42 | 3.32 |
13 | Ohio | 5,224 | 2.55 | 2.60 |
12 | Utah | 5,357 | 2.62 | 5.86 |
11 | Illinois | 5,377 | 2.63 | 2.36 |
10 | Pennsylvania | 5,561 | 2.72 | 2.12 |
9 | North Carolina | 5,619 | 2.74 | 1.64 |
8 | Oregon | 6,108 | 2.98 | 4.76 |
7 | New Mexico | 6,862 | 3.35 | 9.52 |
6 | Nevada | 6,888 | 3.36 | 5.41 |
5 | Washington | 7,237 | 3.53 | 2.91 |
4 | Colorado | 7,386 | 3.61 | 3.21 |
3 | Florida | 11,901 | 5.81 | 1.61 |
2 | Texas | 22,634 | 11.06 | 3.39 |
1 | California | 27,412 | 13.39 | 5.76 |
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