courtesy of Catherine Reagor, The Republic | azcentral.com  September 10, 2014

More people moved out of metro Phoenix during the summer than moved in, according to United Van Lines’ annual customer survey.

Metro Phoenix ranked No. 5 among big U.S. cities for the most outbound moves and No. 7 for the most inbound moves. Overall, the Valley had 17 percent more outbound moves than inbound between May and August, the nation’s biggest moving company reports.

Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta were the top three metro areas for people to move to during the summer. Washington, D.C., Dallas and Atlanta were the top three cities people moved from.

The top reason people moved was for a job, according to the United Van Lines. Retirement was second. Health or another personal reason was the third biggest impetus for a move.

Arizona is creating jobs, but at a much slower rate than it has historically, so there weren’t a lot of new jobs drawing people to the state over the summer. Arizona’s unemployment rate inched up to 7 percent from 6.9 percent in July.

Nationally, summer is the top season for people to relocate, with 40 percent of all major domestic moves happening between May 1 and Aug. 31, according to migration statistics tracked by United.

But anyone who has moved in the Valley once during the summer’s triple-digit weather likely will try to avoid it a second time.

Moving in

Top U.S. cities people moved to during the summer:

  1. Chicago
  2. Washington, D.C.
  3. Atlanta
  4. Boston
  5. Los Angeles
  6. Dallas
  7. Phoenix
  8. New York
  9. Minneapolis
  10. San Diego
  11. Houston
  12. Philadelphia
  13. Denver
  14. Seattle
  15. St. Louis

Source: United Van Lines

Moving out

Top U.S. cities people moved out of during the summer:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Dallas

3. Atlanta

4. Houston

5. Phoenix

6. Chicago

7. Seattle

8. Los Angeles

9. Denver

10. San Jose

11. Portland, Ore.

12. Charlotte, N.C.

13. Minneapolis

14. Boston

15. San Diego

Source: United Van Lines