Where Philadelphians would move if they left Pennsylvania
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Many Axios Philadelphia readers would head south to North Carolina, if they decided to leave Pennsylvania.
Driving the news: In our informal survey last month, 12.7% of the 180 respondents chose the Tar Heel State as their top spot to settle outside Pennsylvania.
- After that, responses were all over the map, with New York, California, Delaware, and Maine rounding out the top five.
Why it matters: While wholly unscientific, the survey somewhat reflects migration trends out of Pennsylvania seen in recent years.
Zoom in: California, North Carolina and New York were among the top destinations for Pennsylvanias to move to, per an analysis of 2022 data from moveBuddha.
- Yes, but: Florida, which hardly made the top 10 in our survey, was the No. 1 spot.
Zoom out: Most Pennsylvanians stick around in the state.
- 69% of people born in the Commonwealth still call it home as of 2021, per a new Dallas Fed study.
The intrigue: A handful of respondents looked beyond the U.S. borders, selecting destinations like the U.S. Virgin Islands, Switzerland and South Africa.
Details: Respondents interested in moving to North Carolina told us their motivations included the beach, low cost of living, weather and "Southern charm."
- One respondent who selected the Outer Banks noted the area's warmer temps and laid back people.
- Another respondent who picked Asheville, located in the western part of the state, did so because of the culture and nature.