A large number of residents have fled the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more than any region of the country, reveals a disturbing survey of moving companies.
The United Van Line’s annual removals survey for 2020 found that New Jersey led all states with 70% of people involved in the relocation fleeing Garden State, while only 30% settled · Lar.
New York State was tied with the second worst with Illinois, with departures accounting for 67% of all moves between March and October.
Not far behind was neighboring Connecticut, where 63% of all movements were residents leaving the nutmeg state again.
But the exodus from the great New York metropolitan area was even worse.
In Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, 81% of movements through United Van Lines were one-way trips (74% more than in 2019) tied to the best positions in the country with Bergen counties. I passed all over Hudson, Jersey.
New York City was tied with Newark, New Jersey, among the largest cities: residents left 72 percent of all trips, while only 28 percent were arrivals.
This was the fourth place among all localities in the country.
And that has happened since 2019, when 62 percent of the company’s moving trips to the Big Apple were for residents leaving the state.
Counties and cities in the metropolitan area rank in the top five for fleeing residents.
Trenton was just behind Long Island and Bergen-Passaic counties, with those leaving the city accounting for 76 percent of all travel.
The United Van Lines survey backs up U.S. postal service and previous reports of companies moving to show New Yorkers on their way out, including Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where residents complained about the decreased quality of life.
New York lawmakers were alarmed by the exodus.
“The number of residents leaving Nassau is directly related to high county property taxes … This poses a serious threat to our county and region.” said Richard Nicolello, president of the Nassau County Legislature (R-New Hyde Park).
A worrying problem for the state and municipalities of New York-New Jersey is that about half of the fleeing residents were high-income earners who generated tax revenue. The United Van Lines poll revealed that 49 percent of families leaving Garden State and 45 percent of families in New York State had annual incomes of $ 150,000 or more.
The report found that Idaho led the country with the largest influx of residents – with arrivals accounting for 70% of travel – followed by South Carolina (64%), Oregon (63%) and South Dakota. 62%) and Arizona (62%).
In terms of metropolitan areas, Wilmington, North Carolina, led the nation as a top destination with arrivals accounting for 79 percent of travel, followed by Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (78%); Boise, Idaho (75%); Huntsville, Alabama (70%); and Fort Meyers-Cape Coral, Florida (69%).
The coronavirus pandemic played an excessive role in the exodus of the metropolitan region, experts in population and the company on the move said.
“Data from United Van Lines makes it clear that migration to western and southern states, a predominant pattern in recent years, persisted into 2020,” said Michael Stoll, an economist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“However,” he added, “we are seeing that the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly accelerated broader moving trends, including retirement leading to major incoming regions as the Baby Boomer generation continues to reach the next stage. of life “.
United Van Lines spokeswoman Eily Cummings said COVID-19 has a “resounding impact” on moving options last year.
“As more people experience work and lifestyle changes in the midst of the pandemic, such as working remotely, we see that they have more flexibility in where they can live; many choose to move from urban to more rural areas. “, he said.
But the U.S. census and city data also reveal that the population of the Big Apple began to plummet before the pandemic hit the region last year.