UPDATE: See the amazing new moving trends for 2019.
Yes, it is the best time of the year. Christmas is in two weeks and you can already smell cinnamon and hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” almost everywhere that you go.
As our annual tradition, we want to present you some mobility trends and moving industry statistics that we have been able to pull out as a result of the hundreds of thousand inquiries and reviews that we have received over 2017 and 2016 (*International moves are excluded from this survey).
This 2017 infographic (moving industry trends in the United States) is all about household moving stats. You will learn more about the busiest moving day of the year, the most popular month to move a house, the busiest moving season and the average moving costs for some routes. What’s even more interesting, you will find out which are the top 10 inbound states and cities, as well as the top ten outbound states for 2017. We hope you will enjoy our latest statistics about moving below!
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Deep-dive into 2017 Mobility Trends
Interstate vs. Local Moves
2017 Interstate moves: 65.48%
2017 Local moves: 34.52%
In 2017, we are seeing an almost 5% increase in long distance moves, compared to the year of 2016.
Whereas the very exact reasons behind those moves may be unclear from our inquires and data, one thing we can say for sure – whether it is a new job or home, or family, Americans are not afraid to go the extra miles in pursuit of happiness.
Top Five Moving Routes
- From California to Texas
- From New York to Florida
- From New York to California
- From California to Washington
- From Massachusetts to New York
These have been the busiest routes this year based on inquiries we have received from people looking for full service movers. As you can see from our data, people are moving South and West. In fact, that has been a trend for a few years now. Texas and Florida are leading states when it comes to home values and taxes.
Relocation and Time
- January – 5.58%
- February – 5.42%
- March – 6.83%
- April – 7.18%
- May – 9.85%
- June – 13.12%
- July – 12.22%
- August – 11.23%
- September – 8.58%
- October – 8.39%
- November – 7.87%
- December – 3.73%
More than 60% of the moves happened during the spring, summer and until mid fall. June is the busiest month for moving, whereas December, January and February are slow. We have the two obvious extremes – busy summer and lazy winter, and between the two midway seasons, fall wins (If we compare spring and fall alone, it’s a small difference, but most people have chosen fall and not spring months).
June the 30th was the busiest day for movers in 2017. July the 1st was second place and August the 1st was the third busiest day in the moving industry for the year 2017.
Days of the week
- Monday – 17.50%
- Tuesday – 11.14%
- Wednesday – 14.20%
- Thursday – 13.05%
- Friday – 19.74
- Saturday – 17.91%
- Sunday – 6.45%
It seems logical to start your move in Friday and utilize the weekend at its best. That is why we shouldn’t be surprised that most of the moves have started on Friday. This day accounts for almost 20% of the moves in 2017.
Move Sizes
1. 1-Bedroom – 26.64%
2. 2-Bedroom – 22.51%
3. Partial move – 17.75%
4. 3-Bedroom – 15.89%
5. 4+ Bedroom – 9.15%
6. Studio – 8.05%
Most of the moves this year have been small moves, with 1-bedroom being the most common home size. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Americans choose to move less of their furniture, because with brands like IKEA becoming more and more popular, it is not profitable to ship all of your furniture any more.
Average Price Per Route
Average price for a move with the longest route – from Florida to California is $4047.Based on the reviews we have received over the year, a move from New York to Florida and vice versa will be around $3500. It seems that the length of the route is a less determining factor as we see a higher average price for a shorter route – New Jersey to Florida – $3618. Same trend applies for the shortest route as well. The economic environment of the region can be a greater factor in pricing.
Migration
Top states that gained more population than lost in terms of relocation are : 1. Florida, 2. Texas, 3. North Carolina, 4. Arizona, 5. Washington, 6. Colorado, 7. Nevada, 8.Georgia 9. South Carolina and 10. Oregon.
Top cities that gained more population than lost in terms of relocation are: 1. Denver, CO, 2. Las Vegas, NV,
3. Seattle, WA, 4. Austin, TX , 5. Phoenix, AZ and Charlotte, NC (same score), 6. Orlando, FL, 7. Tampa, FL,
8. Portland, OR, 9. San Francisco, CA, 10. Atlanta, GA.
Top states with the most outbound moves, losing population in terms of migration: 1. New York, 2. California, 3. New Jersey, 4. Illinois, 5. Pennsylvania, 6. Connecticut, 7. Ohio, 8. Massachusetts, 9. Maryland and 10. Michigan.
Top states for instate (local) moves: 1. California, 2. Texas, 3. Florida, 4. New York and 5. New Jersey.
Top cities for local moves: 1. New York, NY 2. Chicago, IL 3. Houston, TX 4. Los Angeles, CA and 5. San Francisco, CA.
Previous moving industry data trends:
- 2016: Moving Trends 2016: Annual Moving Industry Snapshot
- 2015: Moving Trends: 2015 Annual Relocation Data Survey
- 2014: Moving Industry Trends – Season 2014 in Numbers
- 2013: 7 Mind-Blowing Stats about Moving in 2013
- 2012: Moving Season 2012 – Infographic
If you are moving soon, do not forget to check your mover with the FMCSA and also make sure you plan all details well in advance! Happy Moving!
More about the author
Manuella is a moving expert featured in Forbes, USA Today, Zillow, The American Moving & Storage Association. Writes for MoveAdvisor, formerly MyMovingReviews.com.
Martin is a moving expert and online marketer who’s been involved in the moving industry since 2004. Writes for MoveAdvisor, formerly MyMovingReviews.com.
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