People are moving from SC to these 10 states the most, new Census data shows

Patrick McCreless
·2 min read

Many South Carolinians chose to uproot themselves and move out of the Palmetto State in 2022, need U.S. Census data shows.

But which states did South Carolinians move to the most?

According to recently released U.S. Census data, South Carolina lost an estimated 154,398 people to other states in 2022, year-over-year.

Of those residents, 27,961 went to North Carolina — the most from a single state. Georgia came in second, attracting 18,328 people from South Carolina.

Below are the 10 states South Carolinians chose to move to the most last year.

Top 10 states that gained SC residents

  1. North Carolina: 27,961

  2. Georgia: 18,328

  3. Florida: 14,825

  4. Virginia: 7,680

  5. Tennessee: 6,557

  6. Alabama: 6,298

  7. Texas: 6,016

  8. California: 5,581

  9. Maryland: 5,074

  10. Pennsylvania: 4,706

So why did so many South Carolinians choose to move to the neighboring state of North Carolina? A 2023 study by United Van Lines may shed a little light on the matter.

The study shows that the top reason people moved to North Carolina in 2022 was to be closer to family, followed by getting jobs. The third most popular reason was for retirement.

But while South Carolina lost many residents last year, it gained even more. Census data shows 219,707 people moved to South Carolina in 2022, year-over-year. The United Van Lines study shows that unlike North Carolina, retirement was the top reason people chose to move to South Carolina, followed by family and lifestyle change. New jobs came in at fourth.

Top 10 states that lost residents to SC

  1. North Carolina: 36,324

  2. Georgia: 19,121

  3. New York: 15,537

  4. California: 15,035

  5. Florida: 14,769

  6. Virginia: 11,446

  7. Pennsylvania: 9,337

  8. Texas: 8,811

  9. New Jersey: 7,926

  10. Maryland: 7,891

Where SC people moved to in 2022

  • Alabama: 6,298

  • Alaska: 393

  • Arizona: 2,398

  • Arkansas: 400

  • California: 5,581

  • Colorado: 1,912

  • Connecticut: 1,525

  • Delaware: 1,254

  • District of Columbia: 773

  • Florida: 14,825

  • Georgia: 18,328

  • Hawaii: 1,488

  • Idaho: 1,392

  • Illinois: 1,706

  • Indiana: 1,206

  • Iowa: 610

  • Kansas: 18

  • Kentucky: 3,322

  • Louisiana: 1,814

  • Maine: 295

  • Maryland: 5,074

  • Massachusetts: 3,379

  • Michigan: 3,554

  • Minnesota: 641

  • Mississippi: 1,356

  • Missouri: 2,169

  • Montana: 41

  • Nebraska: 263

  • Nevada: 101

  • New Hampshire: 126

  • New Jersey: 2,817

  • New Mexico: 67

  • New York: 3,432

  • North Carolina: 27,961

  • North Dakota: 0

  • Ohio: 4,476

  • Oklahoma: 658

  • Oregon: 828

  • Pennsylvania: 4,706

  • Rhode Island: 1,100

  • South Dakota: 208

  • Tennessee: 6,557

  • Texas: 6,016

  • Utah: 1,196

  • Vermont: 93

  • Virginia: 7,680

  • Washington: 3,831

  • West Virginia: 333

  • Wisconsin: 662

  • Wyoming: 359