Allied Van Lines Announces 45th Annual Magnet States Report

Texas tops the list in U.S. for 8th straight year, followed by Florida and Colorado

California maintains inbound status, big jumps by North Carolina and Utah

News provided by

Dec 20, 2012, 10:30 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lone Star State has again locked up the title of the top Magnet State for the 8^th year running, according to the annual Allied Van Lines Magnet States Report.

For the eighth year in a row, Texas eclipsed every other state and maintained its lead as the top magnet state in 2012 based on Allied's report, which tracks U.S. migration patterns

With a net relocation gain of 1,585 families in 2012 (inbound moves minus outbound moves performed by Allied Van Lines, one of the world's largest moving companies), Texas far outpaces Florida, the next most magnetic state, with a net relocation gain of 666 moves.

"Being named the Magnet State for the eighth year in a row proves that people continue to vote with their feet, choosing Texas' principled and restrained spending, low taxes and strong job creation record as the best opportunity for their future," Texas Governor Rick Perry said. "We are committed to strengthening the fiscal principles and economic climate that have made Texas the best state in the nation to live, work, raise a family and start a business."

Allied agent Ben Hurwitz agrees. "It is not at all surprising to me that Texas is the number one Magnet State for 2012," said Hurwitz, president of Westheimer Transfer and Storage of Houston. "Texas has a business-friendly climate that continues to bring major companies to our state. We have reasonably priced housing compared to the rest of the country. Plus, Texas has a very diverse population and is welcoming to people from many different cultural and ethnic groups."

Last year's third place state, South Carolina, has dropped out of the top five, and Arizona moved from sixth to third position in the report. Colorado and last year's newcomer, Oregon, round out the top five.

Some states made big gains this year, including North Carolina (from the 22^nd spot on the outbound list to the ninth spot on the inbound list) and Utah (from 25^th to 11^th most inbound state).

California, which was the No. 1 outbound state in 2006 and 2004, maintains a strong positive showing, dropping slightly from seventh to eighth place on the inbound list. California once again maintains its title as the most mobile state, with a total of more than 12,000 moves conducted by Allied Van Lines.

"Slow and steady is the overall theme for this year's report," said Steven McKenna, VP, Pricing and Contract Services for SIRVA. "The current economic indicators should be a positive sign for growth as we move into 2013."

Outbound States

The top five outbound states remain consistent, as they have since 2010. However, the top two spots flip in 2012, with Pennsylvania moving to the top outbound state (net relocation loss of 948 moves) and Illinois dropping to the second position (net loss of 882 moves). These were followed by Michigan, New Jersey and New York.

About Allied Van Lines

Established in 1928, Allied Van Lines, with more than 400 agent locations in North America, is an experienced leader in household goods moving and specialized transportation services. Allied is one of the world's largest moving companies and one of the established global brands of SIRVA Inc., a leader in providing relocation services to corporations, consumers and governments around the world. For more information about Allied Van Lines, visit http://www.allied.com. Allied Van Lines, Inc., U.S. DOT No. 076235

About SIRVA, Inc.

SIRVA, Inc. is a leading provider of relocation solutions to a well-established and diverse customer base around the world. The Company handles all aspects of relocation, including home purchase and home sale services, household goods moving, mortgage services, and home closing and settlement services. SIRVA conducts more than 300,000 relocations per year, transferring corporate and government employees in addition to individual consumers. SIRVA's well-recognized brands include Allied, Allied International, Allied Pickfords, Allied Special Products, DJK Residential, Global, northAmerican, northAmerican International, SIRVA Mortgage, SIRVA Move Management, SIRVA Relocation and SIRVA Settlement. More information about SIRVA can be found on the Company's Web site at http://www.sirva.com.

Household Goods Shipments
January – November 2012


Outbound			Inbound
Origin State	Shipment Vol	% Total	Destination State	Shipment Vol	% Total
CA	5,967	8.9%	CA	6,178	9.2%
FL	4,916	7.3%	FL	5,582	8.3%
TX	4,405	6.5%	TX	5,990	8.9%
IL	3,572	5.3%	IL	2,690	4.0%
PA	2,884	4.3%	PA	1,936	2.9%
NY	2,867	4.3%	NY	2,330	3.5%
VA	2,859	4.2%	VA	2,800	4.2%
NC	2,681	4.0%	NC	2,836	4.2%
MI	2,173	3.2%	MI	1,396	2.1%
WA	2,065	3.1%	WA	2,182	3.2%
NJ	2,018	3.0%	NJ	1,334	2.0%
CO	1,989	3.0%	CO	2,440	3.6%
OH	1,984	2.9%	OH	2,057	3.1%
GA	1,969	2.9%	GA	2,264	3.4%
AZ	1,936	2.9%	AZ	2,369	3.5%
TN	1,555	2.3%	TN	1,505	2.2%
MD	1,442	2.1%	MD	1,273	1.9%
MA	1,404	2.1%	MA	1,326	2.0%
SC	1,376	2.0%	SC	1,687	2.5%
MN	1,199	1.8%	MN	1,190	1.8%
CT	1,057	1.6%	CT	956	1.4%
IN	1,028	1.5%	IN	930	1.4%
NV	951	1.4%	NV	948	1.4%
WI	913	1.4%	WI	952	1.4%
MO	902	1.3%	MO	921	1.4%
AL	870	1.3%	AL	854	1.3%
IA	864	1.3%	IA	634	0.9%
LA	845	1.3%	LA	749	1.1%
OK	833	1.2%	OK	663	1.0%
KS	783	1.2%	KS	619	0.9%
UT	718	1.1%	UT	864	1.3%
OR	711	1.1%	OR	1,059	1.6%
KY	683	1.0%	KY	837	1.2%
NM	526	0.8%	NM	564	0.8%
WV	449	0.7%	WV	279	0.4%
MS	443	0.7%	MS	368	0.5%
NE	403	0.6%	NE	369	0.5%
ID	359	0.5%	ID	484	0.7%
DE	355	0.5%	DE	393	0.6%
ME	347	0.5%	ME	296	0.4%
AR	333	0.5%	AR	405	0.6%
DC	331	0.5%	DC	370	0.5%
NH	265	0.4%	NH	304	0.5%
ND	243	0.4%	ND	184	0.3%
SD	218	0.3%	SD	186	0.3%
RI	214	0.3%	RI	178	0.3%
WY	168	0.2%	WY	172	0.3%
VT	138	0.2%	VT	171	0.3%
MT	121	0.2%	MT	250	0.4%
AK	20	0.0%	AK	28	0.0%
Total	67,352	100.0%	Total	67,352	100.0%