According to their research the number of shipments from individuals (COD) is down a significant 26% from 2004.  It probably needn’t be said that the factors believed to have the greatest affect on the industry are the housing and jobs markets.

The rust belt and interestingly the Los Angeles area have been most affected and had the highest percentage of outbound versus inbound moves.  Conversely southern areas from east to west, and primarily North Carolina, generated the most interest and had the greatest percentage of inbound moves.

It’s no surprise that the trends of the moving industry mimic the greater trends of the US economy but it is an interesting indication of the cascading effects of the market meltdown.  However there is one last slightly more positive trend that average shipment size continued to see an increase.  So even though money is tight people continue to accumulate possessions.

Here are the data points I looked at:
Inbound = People moving in to a city
Outbound = People moving out of a city
Corporate (NAC, in moving lingo) = People whose move is paid for by their company
Household (COD, in moving lingo) = People paying for their own move

Most Popular Cities

Most Unpopular Cities

While I’m sure Detroit at the top of this list needs no explanation, California and New York cities might surprise you. However, these are simply reflections of the current economy with high unemployment rates expected for both states in 2009. Other factors include high prices of diesel and gas, conditions in the housing market (especially California), declining tax revenues and state budget deficits (again, California).

Corporate Moves (NAC) vs. Residential Moves (COD)

Lots of corporate in and corporate out:
Chicago, IL (53.0%, 50.5%)
Philadelphia, PA (52.0%, 51.4%)

Lots of residential in, corporate out:
Atlanta, GA (49.0%, 52.9%)
Dallas, TX (45.9%, 52.6%)

Lots of corporate in, residential out:
New York, NY (53.0%, 56.3%)
San Francisco, CA (51.0%, 56.1%)

Lots of residential in and residential out:
Phoenix, AZ (58.85%, 58.8%)

Again, we see New York and California with a big portion of corporate sponsored moves in to NYC and SF, along with lots of private residential moves out (presumably people who’ve had to move out because of the high cost of living and competitive job markets).

Atlanta and Dallas show popularity among residential moves, probably because they are a bit more affordable compared to the other major metropolitan areas.  Finally, Phoenix shows lots of  residential moves in and out, most likely due to its high senior population and affordable real estate.