D.C. Experiences Largest Population Decline in U.S.

According to National Van Line's Domestic Migration Report released Feb. 15, the Northeast showed the slowest population growth between 2010 and 2021—up only 1.8 million from 2010.

The report also shows that two of the three biggest declines in population are along the East Coast of the US. Between Jul. 1, 2020, and Jul. 1, 2021, the population of the District of Columbia declined 2.9%, which was the largest decline in the country. New York state had the second-largest decline in population for hat year, with a decline of 1.7% from 2020. The report revealed consumers are not moving to the East Coast of the United States as much as they have in previous years.

As trends in the East Coast came to a gradual halt, NVL's January report revealed Vermont remained the most popular place to move to in the northwestern region. Idaho was then the fastest-growing state with an 21.2% increase between 2010 and 2021, while West Virginia declined the most.

"Understanding migration patterns benefits our customers and industry partners," said Tim Helenthal, Chairman and CEO of National Van Lines. "It's important to know areas of growth and decline in the United States. We need to get at data early to understand the beginning of trends. When considering a move, customers want to know the areas where the demand for housing, jobs and government services are high."

The Domestic Migration Report also includes data on moving intent. Along the East Coast, Delaware, Massachusetts. New York and Maine are among the top 10 states with the most significant increase in individual views from the National Van Lines website from 2019 to 2020. This data indicates that people coming from those states are exploring the possibility of a move.

The states with the highest individual views are:

1. Delaware (1091%)
2. Massachusetts (879%)
3. Oregon (366%)
4. Kansas (315%)
5. Idaho (286%)
6. Illinois (259%)
7. New York (157%)
8. Maine (125%)
9. North Carolina (93%)
10. Arizona (86%)

National Van Lines' 2022 Domestic Migration Report chronicles moving trends in the US during the last ten years. This report offers unique updates each quarter via National Van Lines' proprietary migration intent data.

The full report is available here, and will be updated in April 2022.