Why NY and FL Residents are Moving to Pennsylvania in Droves

One of my favorite questions to ask people is where they would move to if money were no object.

Here in the northeastern part of the country, that response is usually somewhere down south for any number of reasons -- a lower cost of living, lower property and/or personal income taxes, less traffic, or better weather.

I mean, would you rather sit in two hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic in Philadelphia or get a tan and enjoy 75° weather in January?

But while we always assume people are fleeing this part of the nation for sunnier pastures and there's a giant population suck happening, that's not really the case.

Typical traffic jam on the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia PA - Photo: Google Maps

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People Are Actually Moving To Pennsylvania

In fact, according to Consumer Affairs, over 237,000 people made the move to Pennsylvania in 2023. To put that in perspective, that's about 75% of the population of Pittsburgh.

As it turns out, tens of thousands of people move into the Keystone State every year for two big reasons.

A U-Haul moving truck heading into Pittsburgh PA - Photo: Google Maps

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Why Are So Many People Moving to PA?

First, Pennsylvania is a cheaper state to live in compared to those around it. Both New Jersey and New York are known for having sky-high costs of living. In most cases, you'll save money by moving over to PA and then just commuting back and forth.

Secondly, and much like New Jersey, it's all about location, location, location.

Living in PA offers you easy access to countless big corporations that are headquartered in the region, and those big companies have good-paying jobs.