Top 10 States People Don’t Want to Leave

People not wanting to move out of their state of residency indicates they are overall pleased living in their state and see no reason to move. One metric that indicates their level of happiness is overall net migration.

Top Ten States People Don’t Want to Leave

According to a report from Rocket Moving, these 10 states have the highest net migrations numbers:

1. Idaho
2. South Carolina
3. Montana
4. Florida
5. Delaware
6. Arizona
7. Maine
8. North Carolina
9. Tennessee
10. Texas

Net Migration

Net migration is calculated by taking the difference between the number of people moving into a state vs the number moving out of that state. When the number is positive, it means more people are moving to the state vs leaving it, The Net Migration metric is divided into two parts: domestic (staying within the U.S.) and international (moving to a different country). Both migration categories are per 1,000 people.

Other Factors Affecting Migration 

Legend for Measuring States

Here’s what the researchers looked into for the study.

1. Happiness

Measured using 31 metrics in the categories of :

• Emotional and Physical Well-Being
• Work Environment
• Community and Environment

2. Quality of Life

Measured using both material factors and broader considerations.

• Healthcare
• Education
• Economy
• Infrastructure
• Opportunity
• Fiscal Stability
• Crime and Corrections

3. Cost of Living

Measured by the amount of money needed to pay for basic living expenses.

• Shelter
• Food
• Transportation
• Healthcare

4. Rent

On average 33.1% of income goes toward rental housing costs

5. Safety

Measured using these categories.

• Road Quality
• Unemployment Rate
• Debt per Income
• Poverty Rate
• Number of Mass Shootings
• Assaults per Capita
• Law Enforcement Employees per Capita
• Families That Feel They Live in a Safe Neighborhood

Key Takeaways

So, what does all this data mean? Here is what it boils down to.

• Idaho tops out the list with it being the top state that people don’t want to leave. Overall, its yearly migration is 1,360 new residents per 100,000 people. It also has the highest happiness ranking in the top 10. However, it also has the third highest rent of the top ten at $2,073.
• South Carolina holds second place on the top ten list with a metric of 1,233 people arriving per 100,000 capita. An while over 248,055 people from other states have moved to South Carolina in the last three years, the state ranks lower than Idaho in quality of life, but the cost of living here is more affordable and rent is under the national average.
• Montana takes third place; they only had a net gain of 1,125 new residents per 100,000 capita. The cost of living in Montana is less by 2 points than Idaho, and the rent is cheaper than the national average at $1,800.
• Florida follows Montana closely in fourth place. They had a net gain of 1,099 people moving here per 100,000 people per capita. The state has the highest quality of life score of the states listed here and it also has the most international expats.
• Delaware comes in at fifth with 1,015 newcomers per 100,000 residents yearly. The state has a lot going for it with a higher happiness ranking than Florida or Montana and an affordable rental rate at $1,610 on average.
• In sixth place is Arizona, welcoming 836 new residents per capita. The state ranks just above Idaho as far as quality of life, but the cost of living and rent is higher here – affecting its placement on the list. People outside the state still view it as a top destination to live with 218,000 more people over the last three years moving to Arizona than ones that left the state.
• Maine follows Arizona closely at seventh place; only 831 people are moving to the state per 100,000 people. While Maine has the highest cost of living of the states in the ranking, oddly enough the rent is more affordable than in Arizona or Florida. As far as quality of life, it ranks 25th, just above South Carolina.
• North Carolina takes eighth place, with 801 new residents per capita. The state has the second highest quality of life, following Florida. It is also one of the most affordable states, with its cost of living below the national average.
• Tennessee holds the ninth position with 766 people moving to the state per 100,000 people. The state has the most affordable cost of living in the ranking and rent on average is only $10 higher than its neighbor to the east North Carolina.
• Texas closes out the ranking with it in tenth place; 672 people are moving here per 100,000 capita. Looking at the data, it is the second most affordable state regarding cost of living, and the rent comes in at $1,886 on average – cheaper than in Arizona or Florida.

Residents of these states on a whole like where they are currently living. If you are getting out of the military within the next year or so, any of these 10 states would be good place to raise a family, work and live based on the measured factors in the second chart. However other considerations can also come into play, such as location of other family members, friends, specific employment, weather, etc.