Why Do People Move Away From Iowa?

You always hear that more people are leaving the state of Iowa than are coming to our fair state. But is that actually true?

The folks at United Van Lines, a company that knows a thing or two about why people move, have released their annual list of the top states that we moved in and out of in 2021. The study looked first at the number of people leaving and coming into each state, but then broke down those numbers into reasons why those people left or stayed. Those factors included retirement, health, family, lifestyle, job, and cost.

First, the states that saw the most people move away. The top five are New Jersey, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, and California. New Jersey saw a total of 70% leave the state and just 30% come in. So what states are people moving to? The top five include Vermont, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Florida. Vermont saw a total of 74% of people come into the state with just 25% leaving.

So how does Iowa fare? The study reveals that Iowa is nearly a split-even state. The Hawkeye state saw 49.5% of people coming in, with 50.5% of people leaving the state. That certainly doesn't add up to the mass exodus that some would lead you to believe. The most popular reason for people to come to Iowa was to be with family at 42%. The most popular reason to leave the state was a better job at 45%. The age group most likely to leave Iowa was 65 and older at 36%. Those folks have lived through enough Iowa winters!

The results of the study are an important snapshot into life in Iowa and why people come and leave our state.