People love Vermont, and there’s even a study to prove it! The United Van Lines’ 40th Annual National Movers Study showed Vermont coming in second as the most popular relocation destination of 2016, with 67 percent of newcomers versus 33 percent moving out. This is a big contrast to the rest of New England, where most of the states had an equal number of people moving in and out, except for Connecticut, which lost more people than it gained.

“For 40 years, United Van Lines has been tracking which states people are moving to and from. We also survey our customers to understand why they are moving from state-to-state,” says Melissa Sullivan, director of marketing communications at United Van Lines. “As the nation’s largest household goods mover, the data we collect is reflective of national migration trends.” 

1.      South Dakota
2.      Vermont
3.      Oregon
4.      Idaho
5.      South Carolina
6.      Washington
7.      District of Columbia
8.      North Carolina
9.      Nevada
10.    Arizona 


Beth Finlayson, executive director of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, believes the reason people want to be in Vermont has a lot to do with the quality of life here. She says, “We don’t have a lot of violent crime. We have a good educational system. There is great air and beautiful views, and we have a slower lifestyle here. Being connected 24/7 wears on people.”

The study showed that the reason a majority of people moved to Vermont was for work, followed by family, lifestyle, and retirement. The rest of the Northeast—New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, along with Connecticut—continued to experience a moving deficit trend, mostly due to retirees seeking the warmer climates of the South and Southwest, or the mountain areas of the Northwest.

1.      New Jersey
2.      Illinois
3.      New York
4.      Connecticut
5.      Kansas
6.      Kentucky
7.      West Virginia
8.      Ohio
9.      Utah
10.    Pennsylvania


Mary Chamberlin, president of the Upper Valley Board of REALTORS, says, “ I do not work in Vermont; however, I do know three people who recently moved back within the last year or so. One moved back to Vermont because they have a better welfare system than Florida. She has a young child and is a single mom. One moved back to Vermont because of work; however, she prefers living in New Hampshire but can’t right now due to family issues. Taking care of family members sometimes dictates where we live. The third person is from California. He moved to Northern Vermont.”

To see the entire study and breakdowns state by state, go to the United Van Lines website at www.unitedvanlines.com/contact-united/news/movers-study-2016.