High taxes, more affordable housing and better job prospects are chief reasons more people are leaving the Midwest for other parts of the country including the Southeast and Southwest, a study revealed.

North American Moving Services 2021 migration report ranked Illinois and Michigan among the top five states where more people were moving away than moving in. Illinois was ranked first of people leaving while Michigan was ranked fourth.

The other top outbound states in the latest report were, California (second), New Jersey (third), and New York (fifth)

Indiana was listed as neutral in the 2021 report, meaning about an equal number of people were moving into the state as were leaving. Indiana has been neutral in the report since 2011.

Between 2011 and 2021, Michigan and Illinois have seen more people move out of those states than move in, according to the report.

The top inbound states for 2021 were South Carolina, Colorado, Oregon, Texas and Florida. The report found remote work options were the primary factor for between 14 million and 23 million Americans who relocated in 2021.  

People who relocated in 2021 moved to find lower costs of living, proximity to family and work flexibility.

A summary of the report and an interactive migration map is available on the North American Moving Services website. The full report also is available for download.