Migration in and out of Virginia fairly even last year

A national moving company says the number of household moves into and out of Virginia last year were fairly even.

Evansville, Ind.-based Atlas Van Lines lists the Old Dominion among “balanced” states in its annual migration pattern study.

In fact, the company said the majority of states, 31, showed a balance between inbound and outbound moves during 2013 despite a 6 percent increase in total interstate household moves from 2012.

The Atlas survey showed Virginia had 3,378 inbound moves during the last year, compared with 3,235 outbound moves.

In 2012, the commonwealth saw 3,411 inbound moves and 3,262 outbound moves.

Virginia ranked fourth among states with the highest number of total interstate household moves last year and during the past 10 years, according to Atlas. The Old Dominion had 6,613 interstate moves in 2013 and 77.261 moves in the past decade.

The states ahead of Virginia on both lists were California, Texas and Florida, the first, second and fourth most populous states in the U.S. Virginia, by comparison, is 12th in population.

Atlas describes a state as “outbound” if 55 percent of the moves during the year are leaving its borders. A state is labeled “inbound” if 55 percent of the moves are coming from another state.

In 2013, Virginia’s neighbors in the South and mid-Atlantic were generally balanced, with the exception of inbound trends in North Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia.

North Carolina ranked second among the states with the highest percentage of inbound household moves last year, 60 percent, behind North Dakota with 67 percent.

The Tarheel State also ranked third in inbound percentage over the past 10 years, 58 percentage compared with Washington, D.C.’s 67 percent and Alaska’s 59 percent.

Elsewhere, two states that showed an “outbound” trend in 2012 are now “balanced,” Vermont and West Virginia.

Also two former “inbound states,” Alaska and Washington, became balanced.

On the other hand, two “balanced states,” Delaware and Pennsylvania became “outbound” in 2013 while Idaho and Montana became “inbound.”

California’s more than 14,500 household moves in 2013 accounts for 19 percent of total interstate moves.

Connecticut experienced the highest percentage of outbound moves, totaling 60 percent, while New York was close behind with 59 percent.