The data used for this analysis was provided by the Population Migration dataset from the IRS’s Statistics of Income (SOI). This dataset uses the number of tax returns filed for an approximate number of households and the number of personal exemptions claimed for an approximate population. Using the addresses of tax filers the IRS can match returns from the 2020 tax season to those filed in 2021 and provide migration statistics based on those filers with different addresses. The 2020-2021 Dataset looks at migrations that took place in 2020. This data was also aggregated to the U.S. Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South & West).
The maps below illustrate the number of individuals migrating out of each county into the noted Census region. Darker colors signify more residents left a county for that region.
The South
Similar to the Shifting Seats Story, the South and West regions continue to be the beneficiaries of domestic migration. The South has experienced significant population in-migration in recent years, especially in 2020. Some of the most notable locations that saw significant out-migration to the South include the Northeast, Chicago, and the Southwest (especially from Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Southern California).
The West
Out West, most of their “movers” are coming from Florida, Texas, and the I-95 Corridor. The West also had high rates of migration within the region. The Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle Metro areas, and nearly all of California, had high levels of out-migration to other Western states.
The Northeast
The Northeast mirrors the West with high rates of migration within the region. People are moving away from the New York Metro to other areas within the Northeast. In addition to the intra-regional shifts, areas in Florida, Texas, and other large metro areas had moderate levels of out-migration to the Northeast.
The Midwest
The Midwest had moderately high levels of in-migration from Florida, Texas, and other large metros, similar to the patterns seen in the Northeast. However the Midwest region had significantly more migration from the West.
