map of North America showing moving migration patternsIt’s not quite on the scale of the Israelites fleeing Egypt. But an Exodus is taking place. Movers in Pennsylvania (and moving companies in Pittsburgh, such as Weleski) are seeing it firsthand. More people are moving out of the Keystone State than moving in.

Last year, Atlas Van Lines customers made 77,705 moves between states and provinces. To help us wrap our heads around the question of “where are people going?” Atlas annually organizes the migration numbers, illustrates them, and publishes an analysis. It tells an interesting story about people’s wanderings across the U.S. and Canada.

As for 2015, Atlas counted 3,196 household goods moves out of Pennsylvania. But the van line handled only 2,256 moves into the state.

This marks three straight years for Pennsylvania as an outbound state. That is, more than 55% of moves (either originating in or destined for Pennsylvania) went out of the state. What’s more, each year of the last ten shows more people going than coming. Generally, the relative difference has been moderate; our status was considered “balanced” from 2006 to 2012.  history of Pennsylvania moves

If you study the map, you’ll see some interesting patterns. It appears our outbound status is part of a larger outbound swath that stretches across most of Canada and our nation’s midsection. There are pockets of inbound activity, namely in the northwest, northeast, and south central regions.  As you would expect, migration across much of the U.S. is considered “balanced.”

It’s tempting to speculate about the reasons people have for moving out of a region or into a region. Occasionally, an event will assert itself on human migration (natural disasters, such as Katrina, can be big enough to skew the data).  However, most movements of people are the result of ebbs and flows we movers are all too familiar with. People wish to pursue economic opportunity, such as a new job or promotion. They want to be closer to family and loved ones. Or they seek a more agreeable climate.

The Moving Migration Patterns infographic can be found here, and the full case analysis here.

If you are moving to or from Pennsylvania or the Pittsburgh area, your reasons are your own. If you are looking for a Pennsylvania moving company to help you, consider Weleski. We help families move, regardless of their reasons. Our Pittsburgh movers have been helping folks make their best moves for over 50 years. Give us a call at 1-888-224-3330 or click here for a free moving quote.