According to an annual report by United Van Lines, more people moved out of Ohio than moved in last year.
The report showed that outbound movers totaled 56.3 percent of movers in 2021, compared to 43.7 inbound movers.
The report also listed reasons for moving.
For outbound moves, the most popular reason Ohioans left the state was for a job opportunity. More than 37 percent of outbound movers relocated for a job. Of those who moved into Ohio, 39.9 percent said their job brought them to the state.
However, compared to 2020, far fewer people left Ohio for professional opportunities. That year, 46.17 percent of outbound movers said they left for job purposes. During the same year, 45.21 percent of movers said they moved into the state for a job.
Retirees fled the state in high numbers. Of outbound movers, 28.12 percent said they were moving away from the state for retirement. That number was far higher than the 19.4 percent of Ohioans who left the state to retire elsewhere in 2020.
Just over 10 percent of inbound movers said they were retiring in Ohio, down from 12.21 percent in 2020.
The most popular reason people moved into in 2021 Ohio was for family. Of inbound movers, 43.56 percent of movers said they came to Ohio for family reasons. Almost 25 percent said they moved away from Ohio for the same reason.
The data also showed that older people tended to move away from Ohio at the highest rate. The 65 and older age group was the most likely to move away from the state, at 29.35 percent of outbound movers. The second largest age demographic to leave the state was people aged 55-64, who made up 27.17 percent of the outbound moves last year.
Those numbers are quite similar to 2020’s numbers, when 27.12 percent of outbound movers were aged 65 or older, and 24.01 percent of outbound movers were aged 55-64.
On the other hand, Ohio attracted very few younger people in 2021.
The smallest percentage of inbound movers came among those aged 18-34. They made up only 14.46 percent of inbound movers. That percentage decreased from 17.51 percent in 2020.
At more than 31 percent, people over 65 made up the largest segment of inbound movers to the state last year. People in the same age bracket made up the largest segment of inbound movers in 2020 too, at 26.6 percent.
In terms of income, those who made $150,000 or more in 2021 left the state in droves. In fact, nearly half of all outbound movers made $150,000 or more.
On the flip side, 42,06 percent of inbound movers made $150,000 or more.
Ohio ranked ninth among all states for outbound movers.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Cincinnati, Ohio” by Carol M. Highsmith.
