State-to-State Migration Increases, Pa. Ranks No. 32

Although overall U.S. migration rates are down, state-to-state migration has increased, and Pennsylvania ranked 32 for the number of new residents per state in 2022, according to an analysis by Storage Café.

In 2021, approximately 32.6 million people moved within the same state and 7.9 million moved to a different state than their current one. In 2022, there were 31 million same-state movers and 8.2 million different-state movers.

While Pennsylvania didn’t see significant migration increases from 2021 to 2022, the state still experienced a positive net migration of 0.5 residents per 1,000. This ranked Pennsylvania at No. 32.

Meanwhile, surrounding states such as Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia ranked lower on the list and experienced a negative net migration. In 2022, New York and New Jersey lost 14.92 and 6.25 residents per 1,000 respectively.

There are many drivers behind migration trends, especially economically. Income, unemployment, home value and rent can play key roles in a person or household’s decision to move. The reasons why states see an increase or decrease in movers vary by state.

In Pennsylvania in 2022, the average household income was $101,613, and the average household income of newcomers was $76,800. The unemployment rate was 3.8%. The median home value was $221,017, and the average cost of rent was $1,660.

Housing inventory also plays a role in how many newcomers a state sees. Pennsylvania ranked No. 26 in this category, with 0.44 housing per capita.

Nationally, the west saw higher migration numbers last year, with Idaho taking No. 1 with a net migration of 24.54 residents per 1,000. Vermont and Montana followed with net migrations of 23.99 and 17.91 respectively.