The most common types of migration

Understanding what is a moving process, isn’t as difficult as organizing it. Regardless of what type of move it’s, one thing is universal, and that is a good organization and a flawless moving plan. Also, what is just as important is the assistance of a professional moving company. In our Master Moving Guide database, you will find all the useful tips and tricks for every type of move. How many moving processes do you think to take place in one year across the USA? Given that the average American moves about 11 times in their lifetime? According to the data, in the period from 2020 to today, around 8.43 million moves have taken place in the USA. So, the question is, who moves and where the most? And in this text, you will see the most common types of migration and all the important details related to the move.

What is migration?

Human migrations have existed for thousands of years. Throughout history, people have emigrated for various reasons. Also, the largest migrations took place during wars, when people fled and looked for a safer place to live, not only in America but also in the whole world. Today, people don’t run away but go in search of a better life. Sometimes it’s moving from city to city, from state to state, or from one continent to another.

people migration
Migration or movement of people has existed for thousands of years. And the reasons for that are different.

The term “migration” most often represents the movement of people from one place to another. Also, this term most often means migrations over long distances and in large groups, exactly as they were in the past, or more precisely, throughout history. Today we can distinguish three types of migration:

  1. Seasonal migrations. This group includes people who move for seasonal work or tourism.
  2. Migration from rural to developed and more urban places. People moving to develop states.
  3. Migration from urban to less urban places. The reason for such migrations is mainly the high cost of living.

So, when we look at all the situations, we can freely say that the main reasons for people’s migration are better living conditions, lower costs, and better business opportunities. Also, today in the world, instead of the word migration, the slightly more modern term “long distance moving” is used. This means that today people move from one place to another. And believe it or not, Americans are the people who move the most.

What types of migration are there?

We said that people mostly move in search of better life opportunities. When we talk about human migration, there are several types of migration, namely internal migration that takes place within a state, city, or continent, and external migration that takes place towards another country or continent. Then, emigration, which involves leaving one state and moving to another state, is immigration where people move to a new state. Also, there is return migration, ie return to one’s native region, and seasonal migration. When we speak in scientific terms, it would sound exactly like this. But, speaking from the holy moving industry, there are several types of moving (migration):

  • Local moving
  • Long distance moving
  • Cross country moving
  • Interstate moving
  • International moving
  • Coast-to-cost moving

These are the main types of moves in the moving industry. And many moving and storage companies provide carefully designed moving services that would meet the needs of each type of move that we mentioned previously. Also, in addition to these main types of moving, there are also residential moving, commercial moving, student moving, and senior moving.

US map showing the most common types of migration
Most common types of migration change every year

The most common types of migration

We all already know that behind us is a very difficult period caused by the Covid 19 virus pandemic, which left permanent consequences for people, nature, and the economy. Fortunately, that difficult period is behind us. But in the past three years, as the virus pandemic began, there has been a large increase in migration from large urban cities to small towns, far from the noise and fast life. Based on all the data, we can single out 4 most common types of migration:

  1. Local moving
  2. Long distance moving
  3. Cross country moving
  4. Interstate moving

According to data from moving companies, 70.6% of residential moving processes, 11.5% of commercial moving processes, 5.7% use of storage services, and 12% of other moves such as senior moving, piano moving, and student moving were recorded on the territory of the USA. moving etc. Considering these data, we can safely say that residential moving, or household moving, is one of the most common types of moving that moving companies deal with. In addition, we can add long-distance moving, local moving, etc.  

Residential moving is one of the most common moving types

The fact that about 15.3 million residential moving processes were recorded in America, with an average of 2.5 family members, per year can confirm that residential moving is one of the most common types of moving. So, residential moving implies the moving of your home, in most cases, it concerns family houses. Also, in addition to residential moving, there is also apartment moving, which can be classified in the same group as moving your home. With such moving processes, you have the opportunity to request moving quotes from your moving company, based on which you receive detailed information about your move. Also, residential moving is performed over short and long distances. But it’s important for you to know that a lot depends on distance.

residential moving - most common type of moving
Residential moving is one of the most common types of moving.

Residential moving can be one of the most challenging moving processes, which can require a lot of effort and work from you, but also a lot of time. Also, in the USA there are over 7,000 moving companies that offer both types of services, and they provide them at over 13,900 locations across the US. There are also small moving companies (47.8%) that employ fewer than 5 people. So, how many movers do I need will depend on the needs of your moving? As well as the size of your house, the number and amount of things you want to move. That’s why we advise you to tell all your needs to your moving company right from the start, in order to determine whether the company can fulfill them.

Where and when are people moving the most?

When we talk about where people move the most, the first place is New Jersey, which gained over 2050 new residents in the past three years, followed by South Carolina with 1493 new residents, and the second place in Maryland, where they moved all 1035 people. While the least of them moved to Maine and Louisiana. Also, among the data, there are states from which residents left, among them New York in the first place, which lost 2,847 residents in the past three years, and Texas, which lost 2,600 residents.

Many people ask when is the ideal time to move. We all know that the moving season is during the summer and that then it is very difficult to find a free appointment. But, according to the data from the National Association of Realtors, statistics show that the largest number of moves takes place in March and July when 1.23 million people moved in both months. So, the final figure is that about 2.5 million people moved in these two months. If you plan to move in this period, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and North Carolina are the top five states to move to in 2022.

friends looking at a map
Summer is the best time to move

Local moving – one of the most common types of moving processes

Local moving is one of the most complex types of moving, which will not be as tiring and exhausting for you as long-distance moving up to over 1000 miles. When we talk about local moving, this means moving up to 50-80 miles. And in many cases, it’s a move within one city, district, or municipality. For this type of move, as for any other, the help of local movers is desirable, but not necessary. People will often decide on a DIY move when it comes to moving to another city, or to another street. Local movers will not charge you a lot of money for this type of move. Depending on the amount of work, and the hours, they will charge you about $25 per hour. Also, during a local move, there is a lot that you can do yourself. 

When it comes to local moving, it’s often apartment moving, as well as office moving. People often have the need to move their office to a nicer place in the same city. Also, young people often change apartments. Let’s say in Florida, during the summer season it’s very difficult to find an apartment near the sea. But that’s why during the winter months, some of the apartments become vacant, and this is another example of local relocation.

Globe showing the most common migration
Most often, people are looking for a better place to live, and that is one of the reasons why they move.

Long distance moving is one of the most common types of migration

Long distance moving includes all movements over 100 miles. Cross country and interstate moving can often be said to be long-distance moves. But they aren’t theoretically. Usually, long-distance moves take place within one state, it can be a move between two distant cities, such as moving within Texas, for example, moving from Dallas to San Antonio, moving from Houston to Odessa, etc.

The average price of such a move is around 1000 dollars, but it’s very important to know that the price depends on the distance. For such moves, a binding estimate is the most recommended. If you ask what is a binding estimate, we will tell you. It’s a binding estimate and you are presented with the final price of the move, regardless of the amount of your inventory. Therefore, for this type of move, distance plays a major role, and therefore, impeccable organization is essential.

Cross country moving

Cross country moving is quite different from local and long-distance moves. In this case, when it comes to moving across the building of a state, you will need a permit to move things, and in some situations, you will be required to pay various fees and taxes. Depending on the policy of the state you are moving to. Also, for this type of move, it’s advisable to take out insurance. You can discuss this with your moving company.

And most importantly, this type of moving requires a good moving plan, as well as the obligatory assistance of professional movers. And cross country moving is also one of the most common types of migration. So, when we talk about the costs of such a move, it can cost about $10,000, depending on the distance and many other factors. Also, you can use our moving costs calculator for moving estimates.

Interstate moving

All moves that take place from state to state within the USA are called interstate moves. In some situations, these moves are most often compared to cross country moves. But interstate moving is one of the most difficult types of moves that require impeccable organization and a very well-developed moving plan. What is very important to say is that for this type of moving a DIY option isn’t possible, but it’s necessary to seek the help of interstate movers. They will provide you with safety and guarantee the success of your move.

Couple packing
Interstate moving is one of the most common types of migration. But for now, bypass the DIY solution.

Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Florida, Texas, and the state of Oregon are the states between which the interstate moving process takes place most often. These states are also a frequent choice of all those who decide to move. And each state is special in its own way. What is also important to say at the end is that interstate moving is also one of the most common types of migration.

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