In the recently released United Van Lines' 2018 National Movers Study, New Jersey ranked at the top of the list for outbound moves. The state has ranked in the Top 10 for people moving out every year for the past decade, according to the study.

According to the United study, more New Jersey residents moved out of the state than residents of any other state in 2018, with 66.8 percent of the people in New Jersey who moved last year leaving the state rather than moving into New Jersey. This is United Van Lines’ 42nd annual national moving study, which tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns over the past year.

In 2018, New Jersey actually moved up one spot on the outbound list to No. 1. The state has ranked in the top 10 for the past decade, according to United. Among the primary reasons New Jersey residents cited for moving out were: changing jobs (34.7 percent), retirement (34.5 percent), lifestyle (17.4 percent) and health (6.2 percent), according to the study.

Illinois ranked as the No. 2 state for people moving out. Also in the Northeast, Connecticut (62 percent) and New York (61.5 percent) ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the United study. Both states have ranked among the top 10 outbound states for the fourth consecutive year.

“The data collected by United Van Lines aligns with longer-term migration patterns to southern and western states, trends driven by factors like job growth, lower costs of living, state budgetary challenges and more temperate climates,” Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said. “Unlike a few decades ago, retirees are leaving California, instead choosing other states in the Pacific West and Mountain West. We’re also seeing young professionals migrating to vibrant, metropolitan economies, like Washington, D.C., and Seattle.”

The 2018 study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. and ranks states based off the inbound and outbound percentages of total moves.

The top outbound states for 2018 were:

New Jersey
Illinois
Connecticut
New York
Kansas
Ohio
Massachusetts
Iowa
Montana
Michigan