Bad News

I could be wrong, Berkshire County, but I feel that the results of a certain new study do not bode well for the future of the Commonwealth. Now, studies are by no means a prediction of the future, but still. These results make it look like our state is moving in the opposite direction of where it should be.

Every year, the American moving and relocation company United Van Lines conducts its National Movers Study. The study takes a look at the previous year to see WHERE Americans moved to and the reasons WHY they moved there. And United Van Lines takes the study seriously. They've been conducting the study for the past 46 years.

There are many fascinating aspects to the National Movers Study however there's a disturbing trend concerning Massachusetts. The Bay State ranked in the Top 10 for "most moved from" states in the country.

In other words, more people are leaving Massachusetts than we have new residents moving in. And what I find even more troubling is this cold, hard fact: This is the THIRD consecutive year that Massachusetts has placed in the Top 10.

According to the study's respondents, last year in 2022 56.6% moved out of Massachusetts, while only 43.4% moved into the Commonwealth. That's enough to put Massachusetts at #7 on the list of "most moved from" states.

Several different factors appear to contribute to the reasons why more people were moving away rather than moving to Massachusetts such as wanting to be closer to family, income, retirement, and more.

Current housing prices and lifestyle changes were also some of the top reasons why people were moving, according to study respondents. Interestingly, the majority of people moving out of Massachusetts were between the ages of 55 and 64, while the majority of inbound people were either between the ages of 18 and 34 or were seniors.

Here, according to the National Movers Study, are the Top 10 States People Were Moving From in 2022:

You should check out the study for yourself. It is very interesting. For more in-depth stats, more reasons why people are moving from Massachusetts, and the Top 10 States More People Are Moving To, visit the United Van Lines website here.