In the past two years, Maine has seen the median price of homes skyrocket, so it should come as no surprise that moving companies are recognizing the Pine Tree State as a popular move-in destination.
Earlier this year, U-Haul ranked Maine No. 8 as a move-in destination and United Van Lines had Maine at No. 14.
Now Atlas Van Lines, in its 2021 migrations patterns study, ranked Maine as its No. 1 “inbound” destination, with 64% of its customers there moving in, versus 36% moving out.
Maine was the only Northeastern state in the Top 10.
A year ago, Atlas ranked Maine at No. 3 as a move-in destination.
The top “outbound” state in 2021 — with the greatest percentage of people moving out — was New York, a distinction it has held for the past three years.
Atlas said 2021 picked up where 2020 left off.
“The onset of the pandemic in 2020 resulted in a year of change in migration patterns as millions of Americans made relocation decisions with COVID-19 in mind. This unique influence on moving trends continued in 2021 as the year reinforced similar tendencies and established new norms, including everything from remote-work flexibility to unprecedented housing market conditions and more,” the moving company said.
Atlas Van Lines, which is based in Evansville, Ind., has conducted the study every year since 1993.
It’s the first time Maine has ranked No. 1. Idaho had held the top spot for the previous two years.
The Top 10 Inbound states were Maine, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Utah, District of Columbia, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana and Florida.
Outbound states were led by New York, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, West Virginia, Indiana, California, Iowa, Connecticut and Ohio.
Maine’s median home price last year was $299,000, up from $256,000 a year earlier, driven by tight inventory. At the same time, the number of building permits issued hit a 14-year high.
