More U.S. Residents Moved To Massachusetts Than Left
Surprisingly, the U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that the number of US residents coming to Massachusetts was greater than the number leaving based on measurements from July of 2008 to July of 2009.
Usually there is a yearly leaving of people who pack up and move to warmer climates, but not this time. While the net gain was low at 3,600 people in what is called domestic migration, it is the first time in 20 years that it has been in the positive. Compared to 2005, there was a net loss of 55,077 residents, while in 2008, there was a loss of 9,724.
Various factors likely contributed to this change including higher unemployment and falling housing prices, which forced people to stay who may have left in a better time period. Some likely reasons for people moving here include lower priced housing, which attracted new buyers to move to the state, and that the economy has improved quicker than some other states, which attracted job seekers.
These numbers are important because of the upcoming census, which affects Massachusetts’ number of congressional seats and could result in redistricting and determine federal funding.
Some other interesting reported estimates during this time period are that there was an additional net gain of 24,518 people when comparing births (79,968) to deaths (54,481). International migrations also added a net gain of 24,518 people.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of Massachusetts in 2009 is now at 6,593,587, which equals roughly a 4 percent increase in overall population since 2000.
It will be interesting to see how these numbers change when the economy turns around.
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