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The pandemic sparked a Great Migration that put millions of Americans — and considerable wealth — on the move, and thousands of Marylanders took the chance to pack up and move.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Maryland lost an estimated 205,000 residents to other states between 2021 and 2022 while becoming the destination for 140,000, leading to a net out-migration of 65,000 residents. That's the fifth highest of any outflow in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.) behind only California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.
The state-to-state migration data represents estimates rather than the exact number of moves, and the data doesn't cover immigration from other countries.
Maryland residents' top destination was Virginia, where an estimated 28,000, or 14% of departing residents, moved. Our neighbor to the south was followed by:
- Florida (23,000)
- Pennsylvania (22,000)
- Texas (14,000)
- D.C. (13,000)
- North Carolina (13,000)
Marylanders were not the only movers to head for warmer weather, as Sun Belt states Florida and Texas saw the highest net migration totals in the country and added 249,000 and 174,000 residents, respectively. North Carolina ranked third in net migration, adding an estimated 82,000 residents, according to the survey.
On the receiving end, Maryland absorbed the most newcomers from Virginia, where about 19,000 residents arrived from. Other states with the most Maryland arrivals were:
- D.C. (18,000)
- Pennsylvania (12,000)
- New York (9,000)
- Florida (8,000)
- California (7,000)
While experts say the Great Migration has slowed, it's still having a substantial impact on local economies even as remote-work availability is lessening. That's particularly true when it comes to housing and workforce development.
Companies are putting an increased emphasis on on-site work, and some metros are finding themselves with significant talent gaps in key industries — including manufacturing.
The national migration picture
The Census Bureau estimated about 8.2 million Americans moved to a new state between 2021 and 2022.
The frequently noted California exodus was evident in the data, with the state losing an estimated 817,669 residents to new states between 2021 and 2022. That was by far the nation's highest total. California also ranked at the bottom nationally for net state-to-state migration, with a loss of 341,866 people.
Not surprisingly, high-growth Sun Belt states were the biggest beneficiary of California's losses. Texas (102,442), Arizona (74,157) and Florida (50,701) led the way in attracting former California residents.
By comparison, California added 42,279 residents from Texas, 27,412 from Arizona and 28,557 from Florida.
Sun Belt states also led the way — and by a wide margin — for net migration gains, with Florida (249,064) edging Texas (174,261) for the top spot. Florida has long been a top destination for snowbirds, and its lack of a state income tax has also helped it lure new residents.
As we've noted, a host of factors have been driving residents to states across the Sun Belt, including strong job growth, relative affordability compared to coastal hubs and quality-of-life amenities.
One outlier in the top 10 states for net state-to-state migration was Connecticut, which had a net gain of 56,582 — fueled in large part by migration from New York.
At the other end of the spectrum, California (net loss of 341,866) was joined by New York (-244,137) and Illinois (-115,719). In total, 18 states posted a loss in net state-to-state migration.