These are the states people wanted out of in 2018 (sorry, New Jersey)
Ryan W. Miller
Trying to get out of the Garden State? You may not be alone.
According to an annual study from United Van Lines, New Jersey was the top state people were moving out of in 2018, while Vermont topped the list as the top state people moved to.
The company, which has tracked interstate moves for the study since 1977, used data from the more than 200,000 household moves it completed in 2018 within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.
The data showed that roughly two-thirds of New Jersey moves were outbound in 2018. New Jersey has been in the top 10 for outbound moves for the past 10 years, United Van Lines said.
Illinois (65.9%), Connecticut (62%), New York (61.5%) and Kansas (58.7%) rounded out the top five list for states people were leaving.
On the other hand, over 7 in 10 moves in Vermont were inbound in 2018. Among the other states that people moved to: Oregon (63.8%), Idaho (62.4%), Nevada (61.8%) and Arizona (60.2%).
According to United Van Lines, the data overall shows a growing number of moves to western and southern regions, while Northeastern states saw a growing number of moves away.
"The data collected by United Van Lines aligns with longer-term migration patterns to southern and western states, trends driven by factors like job growth, lower costs of living, state budgetary challenges and more temperate climates," Michael Stoll, a public policy professor and economist at UCLA, said in a statement.
Career changes accounted for about half of all moves across the country, according to a survey from United Van Lines. Retirement, lifestyle change and family were also among top reasons for moving in some regions.
Idaho welcomed the highest percentage of movers seeking a new lifestyle at roughly 25 percent, while New Mexico led the way for retirees with 42 percent of movers wrapping up their careers.
"Unlike a few decades ago, retirees are leaving California, instead choosing other states in the Pacific West and Mountain West," Stoll added.
Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller
More:2018 year in review: 50 stories from 50 states that moved us
More:Beto O'Rourke, freekah and other words you've been saying wrong all year
More:Blood pressure drug recalls, Mollie Tibbetts, Toys R Us and Roseanne: Our most-read stories of 2018