Moving out…

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It seems such a waste of time
If that’s what it’s all about
Mama if that’s movin’ up
Then I’m movin’ out – Billy Joel, Universal Music

They’re movin’ out of  Billy Joel’s Long Island and New Jersey.  Sometimes,  the destination is Delaware.

Up until recently, I had bought the argument that the state was seeing out-migration until I  began to notice a lot of out of state license plates around the area.  

All too common are the retro New York state tags, with a surprising number of plates from Connecticut and one or two from New Mexico. One car in my neighborhood has Minnesota tags.

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via GIPHY

The last time I saw such a phenomenon was a couple of decades ago when some folks from the Midwest auto plant transferred to auto plants in Delaware.

It adds further evidence to a form of migration to Delaware that has flown under the radar.

As noted in a story in this newsletter, a company specializing in hybrid moves that combine a rental truck with hiring local help ranked the state sixth when it came to the difference between out-migration and in migration.

It followed a similar but slightly lower ranking from rental truck giant U-Haul.

It is clear that people are moving in from within the region and perhaps not getting the attention of the stats people. The focus has tended to be on full-service movers, who have long reported more outbound moves than inbound activity.

As the recent report below from  HireAHelper noted, the average move they tracked was under 300 miles.

The news about in-migration is not all positive. The fact that many moves are self-financed is a sign that the new residents are taking lower paid jobs without big perks. Retirees could be another segment that is doing more do it yourself moves.

Indeed, figures show Delaware wage growth remains sluggish,  a sign that lower paying jobs may be replacing higher paying positions.

Still, the evidence that more people are moving in is a sign that Delaware’s economy is showing strength and does not face the challenges of some of our neighbors.

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