Would you pick North Carolina over Bellingham? These people did

Bellingham was one of the most moved-to cities in the United States for 2022, according to a new study out by United Van Lines, an American moving and relocation company.

Coming in just behind Wilmington, North Carolina, Bellingham ranked as the second-most moved-to city in the country, according to United’s 2022 National Movers Study.

Bellingham was closely followed by Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. It ranks states and cities based on the inbound and outbound percentages of total moves to that area.

United classifies states as “high inbound” if 55% or more of the moves are going into a state or city, “high outbound” if 55% or more moves were coming out of a state or city or “balanced” if the difference between inbound and outbound is negligible.

Seventy-three percent of moves in Bellingham handled by United were inbound and 27% were outbound, giving it the ranking as the second-most moved-to city.

United Van Lines cited Bellingham’s urban trail network, unique environment, “creative vibe” and ample brew pubs and coffee shops as some reasons it may have a high percentage of inbound moves.

Here are the top 10 moved-to cities along with their percentage of inbound moves, according to United Van Lines:

▪ Wilmington, North Carolina, 81%.

▪ Bellingham, 73.2%.

▪ Santa Fe, New Mexico, 73%.

▪ Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 72%.

▪ Punta Gorda, Florida, 71.6%.

▪ Flagstaff, Arizona, 71.4%.

▪ Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, 71%.

▪ State College, Pennsylvania, 70%.

▪ Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, 69%.

▪ Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida, 69%.

Washington as a whole was not ranked as a top moved-to state, according to United. The state is considered balanced when it comes to the percentage of people moving in and out.

Fifty-one percent of moves handled by United in Washington last year were inbound, while 49% were outbound, according to the study.

People moving to Washington cited family and jobs as the main reasons for relocating. People moving out of Washington cited family, jobs and retirement as the main reasons for leaving, according to the study.

The most moved-to state was Vermont, which saw the highest percentage of inbound moves at 77% for the second year in a row. For the fifth consecutive year, New Jersey had more outbound moves (67%) than any other state, according to the study.

In general, Americans continued to move to lower-density areas, the study shows.

United Van Lines has tracked migration patterns and data by state since 1977. Founded in 1928 and headquartered in St. Louis, United Van Lines is the largest full-service moving company in the U.S. with 300 affiliated agents nationwide, according to a Money Research Collective review.