Moving company ranks Illinois 49th in country for residents moving out

According to a moving company, Illinois once again witnessed one of the largest net losses of one-way moving trucks leaving the state.

In the latest U-Haul Growth Index for 2021, Illinois is ranked 49th in the country for the second year in a row, behind only California. The index determines growth by calculating the net gain of one-way trucks entering the state versus leaving in a calendar year.

Illinois has held down the 49th or 50th spot on the index since 2015.

Many Illinoisans headed for the sandy beaches of Florida, where Mario Martinez is a regional vice president for U-Haul. He said Florida didn’t force the business shutdowns during the pandemic like Illinois did.

“For the past two years, we have been pretty much been open the entire time,” Martinez SAID. “This state has kept on going and this year has been very busy all the way around.”

Florida came in behind Texas as the leading growth states in 2021, followed by Tennessee, South Carolina and Arizona. Illinois’ neighbor, Indiana, came in 6th.

“We see a lot of people coming in from the Chicago markets,” said Matt Merrill, district vice president of the Dallas Forth Worth Metroplex and West Texas. “I think that’s a lot due to the job growth and a lot of opportunity here. The cost of living here is much lower than in those areas.”

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, from July 2020 to July 2021, there were 113,776 fewer people in Illinois. Only the District of Columbia and New York had a greater percent decline in population.

Taking into account the number of births and migrants who moved to Illinois, it is estimated more than 122,000 Illinoisans moved to other states.

This article was originally posted on Moving company ranks Illinois 49th in country for residents moving out