Moving tendencies of Virginia residents

UncategorizedSeptember 7, 2022

Like many other places in the United States, Virginia has a great number of people coming and leaving. Of course, each state is different and has to be evaluated on its own. Today, Zippy Shell Moving and Storage DMV will cover the moving tendencies of Virginia residents. Where are they going? Why are they leaving? From which states are people most coming to Virginia? Why are new people settling in Virginia? If you are thinking about relocating to Virginia and are interested in the moving trends of the residents, these answers will help you get the real picture of living in Virginia. If you are thinking about leaving Virginia and want to know where your fellow residents are leaving, this will also be more than helpful.

What are the most frequent causes of migration in general?

People tend to change cities or states most frequently in search of a better life. That is a universal motive. However, other factors come into play here. The most frequent causes of migrations are:

  • Finding better-paying jobs
  • Receiving a better education
  • Better living conditions
  • Being closer or further away from family and relatives
An old town building in Virginia
There are several key factors in the moving trends of Virginia residents.

Most people simply want to earn more money. Regardless if they live alone or have families, a higher wage is the primary motivation for the majority of people switching states. Some states have it better than others in terms of job opportunities and average wage offered. So it’s no surprise that many people want to change their surroundings to find a place where they will be happier. Education is also at the top of the list because the quality of education differs from city to city, let alone from state to state. Sometimes, people just want to live in a place with more sun and seek more pleasant weather conditions. Not everyone enjoys gloomy and rainy weather all year long! So they just decide to move and hire the best interstate movers Northern Virginia they can find to help them.

How does Virginia compare to other states in America?

The housing market in Virginia

The median home value in Virginia is $375,785. The average price of a house in the United States is $428,700. This puts Virginia at spot #13 in the US when it comes to the value of homes. Also worth noting, the average mortgage payment to the median income in Virginia is 28.3%. And over the past year, the price of homes in Virginia has gone up 11.5%.

Over the course of 4 years, the median home value has increased by $100,000. That very well could be one of the main reasons why Virginians are moving away. When it comes to renting a place there, the average rent cost in Virginia is between $1,172 to $1,799 per month. However, renting a place is a bit more difficult as most homeowners or landlords prefer to sell, so there are fewer renting options available. If this does not seem like a problem for you, start considering hiring long distance moving companies Northern VA and planning your move.

A sandy beach with a forest behind
Better weather conditions are one of the key factors why many Virginians decide to move.

Education level in Virginia

Virginia sits at 4th place in the nation regarding education level. It is the seventh-most educated U.S. state, with 38.2% of adults having a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Virginia has one of the lowest bullying incidence rates in the U.S. and also ranks fourth for math test scores. Now, what are the actual schools like and which are the best ones? When it comes to colleges, the best one there is the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, which is ranked the 25th best school in the nation. It is followed by William & Mary University, as well as Virginia Tech, which are ranked #38 and #75 respectively. As for high schools, the 3 highest ranked public high schools in Virginia are:

  1. Maggie Walker Governor’s School ranked the 4th best high school in America
  2. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is ranked the 5th best high school in America
  3. McLean High School ranked #112 best high school in America

Overall, the standard of education in Virginia is very good, so a lot of people for sure are moving there to give their children these opportunities. Education is an important factor in the moving tendencies of Virginia residents.

Cost of living

When it comes to the cost of living, the average cost of living there is $42,757 per year. That puts Virginia in 27th place out of 50 states. Not the most expensive state so the cost of living is pretty reasonable. But what is the breakdown of that cost of living? Where are people spending their money the most? Before you hire residential movers in Northern VA and relocate here, let’s do a quick breakdown of the average annual per-capita cost of living in Virginia.

Costs of living of Virginia residents

All in all, the prices there are reasonable and not among the highest in the country. But what about the job market? Are there any trends or problems that might further explain the moving tendencies of Virginia residents? Let’s find out.

Job opportunities in Virginia

Virginia is ranked #13 in the country’s economic rankings. Those rankings are calculated based on several factors: the business environment -which evaluates the private sector business birth rate and the number of patents granted per million people. Employment metrics used are unemployment rate, job growth, and labor force participation rate. Finally, growth measures the economic future of a state, by looking at net migration, growth of the young population, and GDP growth rate

So, where does Virginia fall under each of these? It’s ranked #14 in the business environment, #5 for employment, and #24 for growth. Looking at this, growth might be the key factor in people moving away from Virginia, as the economy there might be stagnating and slow. At the same time, the employment rank of #5 might explain why people are moving to Virginia from other states, as there are plenty of job opportunities. Much more than 45 other states in America. These very well could be the key factors in explaining the moving tendencies of Virginia residents, both new and old.

Where are Virginians migrating to? What are the moving tendencies of Virginia residents who decide to relocate?

Even though the US is among the most mobile countries in the world, the migration trend is a bit on the decline. For example. from 2019. to 2020. only 9.3% of people moved. That is the lowest number of people who changed residence since 1947. Using the data from the US Census Bureau, we will show you the most frequent places where people are either moving to or moving away from Virginia.

Virginia residents with tendencies in moving away
Many people want to change their location to save money in the long run.

Top 5 states Virginians moved to:

North Carolina

in 2019, 29.764 people moved from Virginia to North Carolina. It equates to 10.8% of residents that moved that year. North Carolina is the first choice for many Virginians, judging by the statistics. The median home value in NC is $322,986. It is slightly cheaper when compared to the average home value in Virginia. The average cost of living there is $38,295, so again it is cheaper than Virginia. No wonder why this is the #1 place for many Virginians when they decide to move and try living somewhere else. If you are one of those Virginians, be sure to use the best moving services Northern VA has to offer, to make your transition as smooth as possible.

Florida- Virginia residents adore Florida

The second best destination on the list for Virginians is Florida. About 26,000 people moved to Florida when looking at 2019’s statistics. What makes Florida such a desirable location? Well, first of all, Florida’s official nickname is the Sunshine State. Who doesn’t want to enjoy the sunshine and ocean every day, all year long? The perfect weather there is one of many key factors in the moving tendencies of Virginia residents. The average price of a home in Florida is $402,837, so it’s a bit more expensive than in Virginia. The average cost of living there is $43,615, so it’s right around the same mark as in Virginia.

California

The third place on this list goes to California. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the weather plays a crucial role, just like in Florida. However, what is surprising is the fact that the average home value in California is $816,804. That is a whopping 191% of a typical home price in the whole of America. However, that didn’t stop 24,506 Virginian residents who moved to California in 2021. The average cost of living in California is $46,631 which is pretty similar to Virginia. Many people tend to move there as they want to relocate their business. California is simply the better location for a growing business. If you are one of those people and need reliable commercial movers in Northern VA to help you relocate, we’ll be happy to take your call and be a part of that journey.

Aerial shot of Dallas
Texas is one of many states where Virginians are most likely to migrate.

Maryland- a great place to move to

Near the end of the list, we have Maryland, with 23,091 people moving there from Virginia. The average home price in Maryland is $415,797 and the median income is 40% more than the national average, which is $35,977. Virginia residents tend to move to Maryland in search of a better life simply because it’s near and shares a border. The relocation would be much easier and less complicated compared to moving all the way over to California, for example. If you have an interest in moving to Maryland because of a better job opportunity or simply because you want to shake things up a bit in your life, don’t hesitate to do it. Hire the best local movers Northern Virginia can offer and embark on the same journey as many of your fellow Virginia residents.

Texas

The last place on this list goes to Texas. In 2021, 18,973 people decided to change their residence and settle in Texas. The average home value in Texas is $314,718 which is 73% of a typical U.S. home price. So, homes in Texas are definitely cheaper and attract people to move here. The median income in Texas is only 1% above the national average, but that still leaves plenty of money in the bank for people to live comfortably. These two crucial factors definitely can help explain some of the moving tendencies of Virginia residents.

Night view of Philadelphia
Many people from Pennsylvania tend to move to Virginia and become residents there.

Where are new Virginians mostly coming from?

So far, we’ve explained the moving tendencies of Virginia residents that have decided to move out of the state. But what about the other way around? Where are new Virginians coming from mostly? Let’s see which states have the biggest influx of people coming to Virginia:

  1. Maryland. In 2019 27,172 people moved from Maryland to Virginia
  2. North Carolina. By the stats from 2020. 26,435 people moved from NC to Virginia
  3. Florida. Circa 21,432 Floridians packed their bags and moved to Virginia
  4. New York. New York has seen 15,618 people move to Virginia in 2019
  5. Pennsylvania. Rounding up this list is Pennsylvania, which has seen 12,284 people move to Virginia last year

Conclusion

Whether you want to move out of Virginia in pursuit of a better life or see Virginia as a great opportunity to move to. We’ve seen that the key factors that are making people move anywhere are either job opportunities or a desire to move to a state where they will spend less money. Of course, many people decide to move simply because they would like to enjoy nicer weather! These are all crucial factors in explaining the moving tendencies of Virginia residents, new or old. If you fall under any of these brackets and want to change your home address, this guide will be of great help. It gives you an insight into living in certain places compared to Virginia. Therefore, it’s a great helper for a potential move. Good luck, and we wish you a nice relocation!

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