Why People Are Moving Out of the States on This List

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West Virginia - 51.8% Outbound Rate

West Virginia and surrounding states have kind of been clobbered by the move away from coal. Before, coal mining was often the only decent employment you could find in a lot of areas, even if it was dangerous. For that reason, there isn't a whole lot of economic opportunity, and people tend to move out rather than move in, despite the state's great nature. But there has been some recent hope for West Virginia.

Wikimedia Commons/Daniel G Rego
Wikimedia Commons/Daniel G Rego

The state's long-term unemployment rate is around 7.73%, and that number shrunk to 4.30% in 2024, which is still well above the national average but definitely a drastic improvement.