National Moving Service Notes Continued Trend Away From Northeast

Home  Press Room  Press Releases  National Moving Service Notes Continued Trend Away From Northeast

FORT SMITH, Ark. (January 2, 2009) – An annual report released by ABF U-Pack Moving^® indicates that more people moved to Texas from within the U.S. than any other state in the union. Northeastern states, particularly in the Rust Belt, continue to lose residents to other states.

When looking at volume of moves, New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania represented significant outbound activity. Southern states continue to see a higher influx of interstate moves, particularly North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

Each year ABF U-Pack Moving, a nationwide moving service specializing in out-of-state moves, reports on trends for those who moved with the company. "Moving long distance is a major ordeal for most people," says Jim Ingram, ABF Vice President of Market Development. "It is interesting to pause and think about where people are moving from, where they are moving to and why." Ingram notes several big events in 2008 which are discussed in the report and could potentially affect moving trends over the next year. Headline events such as the housing foreclosure crisis and the struggling American automotive industry could have an affect on long distance moving. Ingram points out that these trends are socially significant. "Population shifts can have a ripple effect, determining things like the tax base for cities, thriving economies or how many Electoral College votes and representatives a state receives," Ingram adds.

Regarding volume of moves at the city level there are notable inbound numbers for Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Charlotte and Raleigh. Heavy outbound cities include Oakland, Orlando, Las Vegas and Miami.

The report also looks at percentage of inbound to outbound moves. Once again several Southern states reveal high percentages of people moving in from other states. Hawaii, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Montana, Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana make up the top ten list of states with high inbound percentages.

Northeastern states top the lists for high percentages of outbound interstate moves including New Jersey in the top spot. In addition to "The Garden State" the top ten include Delaware, Rhode Island, Nevada, Michigan, California, Alaska, Connecticut, New York and Florida.

To receive a copy of the full report or specific information on your city or state contact:
   publicrelations@upack.com
   Kay Lynn Clay 479-785-8686.

U-Pack is a service of ABF Freight System, Inc.^®, an award-winning transporter of general commodities. In 1997, ABF^® began offering its shipping services directly to consumers via U-Pack Moving. In doing so, the carrier introduced an alternative means of moving residential and business belongings cross country. U-Pack combines the professional driver and equipment of a traditional full-service mover with the cost savings of a rental truck.