This state becomes most moved to amid pandemic lockdowns, high costs: report

by Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech | March 4, 2022 | Mar. 04, 2022

After California’s second COVID wave, nurse Francisco Lopez decided he needed a change of pace from the rush of treating hundreds of people with the virus at a Los Angeles County hospital. So, in June of last year, Lopez, his wife, and their baby daughter packed up their home and moved over 3,000 miles east to Portland, ME.

After finally committing to working for herself full-time, Alice Stankovitch, founder of the marketing company Wholeheart Agency, didn’t think it made sense to stay in Washington, D.C., and opted to move to Maine where she could escape the more formal work culture and expensive rent in the nation’s capital.

Massachusetts native Gillian Barnes spent months sheltering-in-place with her husband during the pandemic, very rarely ever setting foot out of their “claustrophobic” apartment in the Northshore. After a trip to a friend’s lake house in Maine, where she was finally able to do something outdoors without fear of contracting or spreading the virus, she decided to look for work in the area. By November 2020, Barnes and her husband had moved to Readfield in the center of the state.

“It was sort of on a whim because I felt happy in Maine and I hadn’t felt that way since the pandemic began” Barnes told Changing America.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

Thousands of people like Lopez, Barnes and Stankovitch have moved to Maine throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with a recent Atlas Van Lines report ranking it as the top choice for domestic movers.

As of July of last year, Maine’s population reached 1,372,247 — an increase of about 10,000 people compared to the year before — pushing the state out of a nearly two-decade-long growth slump, according to U.S. Census data.

That growth was mainly caused by migration since deaths in the state outnumbered births by over 6,000 between 2020 and 2021, according to the Bangor Daily News.

In the report, the long-distance moving company attributed the state’s sudden growth in part to the rise of remote and telework, which has given many Americans more say in where they live. Atlas Van Lines added that many are attracted to Maine because of its lower cost of living, compared to its New England neighbors, and its abundant natural beauty, among other reasons.

Other states experienced a wave of new residents during the pandemic including North Carolina, Arkansas and Florida. Meanwhile, states like New York, California and Illinois are experiencing exoduses, according to the Van Lines study.

While the surge in migration to Maine, and other less populated states, has maintained throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear how long the trend will last.

The surge in migration from larger cities to smaller sized areas taking place in the pandemic is the continuation of a demographic trend that began in the mid 2010’s, according to William H. Frey, senior fellow with Brookings Metro at the Brookings Institution.

During and after the Great Recession in 2009, young millennials moved and stayed in cities as the nation’s job market and suburban housing market plunged. As the housing market recovered and the country’s employment rate slowly but steadily increased in the years following, more young adults were able to move, according to Frey.

“The pandemic accelerated this, but it may not last,” Fray said in an e-mail to Changing America. “Some of these moves may be temporary and the next wave of Gen Z movers, may find cities again attractive. It’s too soon to tell.”

Here is the full list of the top states people are flocking too and those that people are fleeing, according to Atlas Van Lines.

Top 10 Inbound States

1. Maine

2. North Carolina

3. Arkansas

4. Tennessee

5. Utah

6. District of Columbia

7. Idaho

8. Hawaii

9. Montana

10. Florida