When People Move Out of Pa., They Often Move to the South

The 2016 American Community Survey estimated that over 7.5 million Americans moved within the past year.

Approximately 257,792 of those Americans who moved to a different state lived in Pennsylvania during the previous year.

Those who moved from Pennsylvania to another state accounted for 3.4 percent of the total state-to-state migration in the United States, ranking it eighth in the nation for domestic outmigration.

Key findings for PA's domestic out-migrants:

• One-half move to the South

• One-in-three move to a bordering state

• Florida, New Jersey, and New York are top destinations

The U.S. Census Bureau produces state-to-state migration flows for the population age 1 year and over based on the American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.

Regional Out-Migration from Pennsylvania

Nearly one-half (49.1 percent) of Pennsylvania's domestic out-migration, or migration to other states, was to states in the South, double the proportion of the next highest region, the Northeast (23.8 percent).

Those moving out of Pennsylvania to different states were similarly divided between the West (13.8 percent) and Midwest (11.9 percent).

The South Atlantic (SA) division was the most popular destination for Pennsylvanians, as approximately 40.8 percent of Pennsylvania's domestic out-migration was to states within that division.

Again, movement to the South Atlantic division far eclipsed movement toward the nation’s other eight divisions, of which movement to the Middle Atlantic (MA) was the next highest (17.8 percent).

Movement to the West North Central (WNC), comprised of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, and East South Central (ESC), comprised of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, had the lowest percentage of migrants from Pennsylvania at 2.3 and 2.5 percent, respectively.

Bordering states including New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio accounted for over a third (34.8 percent) of Pennsylvania's out-migration to different states.

State-Level

Out-Migration

Florida was the most popular destination state for those moving out of Pennsylvania (11.6 percent). New Jersey (9.0 percent) and New York (8.8 percent) were also among the highest destination states for those who lived in Pennsylvania in the previous year.

Together, those three states accounted for nearly one-third (29.4 percent) of all of Pennsylvania's out-migration to different states.

North Carolina (5.2 percent), California (5.0 percent), and Texas (4.5 percent) were among the most popular destination states for former Pennsylvania residents after Florida and bordering states.

Midwestern states like the Dakotas, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa along with Alaska were among the least popular destination states for former Pennsylvania residents.

Census Regions

and Divisions

The U.S. Census regions group the nation’s states and Washington D.C. into four census regions (the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West).

Census regions are further subdivided into nine census divisions (New England, Middle Atlantic, Southern Atlantic, East North Central, South North Central, West North Central, West South Central, Mountain, and Pacific).

Puerto Rico and the Island Areas are not part of any census region or census division.

Source

U.S. Census Bureau. 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.

About the The Pa.

State Data Center

The Pennsylvania State Data Center is the commonwealth’s official source for population and economic statistics. Based at Penn State Harrisburg's Institute of State and Regional Affairs, the Pennsylvania State Data Center is part of the U.S. Census Bureau's National State Data Center Program.