Migration to Massachusetts in 2022: Where Are People Going?
Every year, millions of Americans move, seeking changes in lifestyle, climate, employment, family life and more. They bring with them income and assets that, en masse, have the potential to impact the economies of their new home states. In fact, thousands choose Massachusetts as their destination every year and tend to settle in different parts of the state. So who is going where?
Urban areas are a favorite of new residents. According to MassIRSDataDiscovery, of the 78,146 taxpayers who migrated to Massachusetts in 2022, over 45,000 went to the counties in and around Boston, with 15,820 settling in Suffolk county, 7,102 in Norfolk, and 22,717 in Middlesex. This may be due to high-profile economic opportunities there, with Boston acting as the largest economic hub in New England and home to a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem with many high paying jobs. Some of the largest employers in these counties, according to MassEconomix, are healthcare and social services, professional, scientific, and technical services, retail trade, finance and insurance, and educational services. Additionally, 6,667 went to Worcester County, and 3,890 went to Hampden County (home to Springfield), whose largest industries also include educational services, retail trade, and healthcare and social services.
Figure 1: Made with data from MassIRSDataDiscovery: 2022
These urban areas were especially popular with people from the Midwest (ND, SD, KS, NE, IA, MO, MN, IL, MI, WI, IN, OH) in 2022. According to MassIRSDataDiscovery, over 70 percent of all migrants from the Midwest settled in Middlesex, Suffolk, or Norfolk counties – which make up about 45 percent of Massachusetts’s population. Midwesterners accounted for 12 percent, 12 percent, and 10 percent respectively of all migrants to these counties. In comparison, they make up only 7 percent of migrants to Essex and 5 percent of migrants to Bristol.
Comparatively, people from the south (TX, FL, AR, KY, TN, WV, VA, MS, MD, DE, NC, SC, AL, GA, LA) are more likely to settle in Southeastern Mass near Cape Cod than migrants from other regions of the country. According to MassIRSDataDiscovery, 35 percent of migrants to Barnstable County were from the South, 36 percent of those moving to Plymouth, and 30 percent to Nantucket. In comparison, 23 percent of migrants to Bristol are from the South, as are 27 percent of migrants to Middlesex. Significant employment in these counties is also generated by healthcare and social services as well as retail trade, but food services and accommodations is also a top employer. These Southeastern counties receive 10 percent of Southern migrants and only about 8 percent of all migrants.
People from the Northeast (CT, RI, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ, PA) make up significant portions of total tax filer migration, including nearly half of filers relocating to Mass. They tend to favor more rural counties compared to those moving from other areas of the country, making up 62 percent of tax filer migration to Bristol County, 56 percent to Berkshire, 54 percent to Essex, and 51 percent to Franklin. As in all of Mass, significant employment in these counties comes from industries like healthcare and social services and educational services; they also gain significant employment from industries like manufacturing and construction. According to Mass Economix, in Franklin, Bristol, and Essex in 2020 about 10 percent of all employment comes from manufacturing alone, compared to the state average of 6 percent. This is similar to other New England states, such as New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine where, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing accounts for over 10 percent of all jobs.
Figure 2: Made with data from MassIRSDataDiscovery: 2022
Like midwesterners, people from the West (CA, NV, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, UT, AZ, NM, CO, AK, HI) favor urban areas, with 34 percent of new tax filers from the West settling in Middlesex, 21 percent in Suffolk, and 10 percent in Norfolk, accounting for 65 percent of all new migrants from that region.
About the Author: Raif Boit is a Roger Perry Transparency Intern at Pioneer Institute for the summer of 2024. He is a rising freshman at Harvard College.
