Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Best & Worst States For Business 2022: The Great Not-Migration

© AdobeStock
Predictions of flight from big cities were a bit overblown, although reactions to Covid did heat up a few migratory routes that already were increasingly popular.

The Great Reshuffling has become more like the Slight Rearrangement. Early predictions that scared and frustrated residents of big, Covid-restrictive cities on the coasts would flock elsewhere have instead dissolved into a different reality: Most Americans who moved during the pandemic simply distanced themselves to suburbs and exurbs of the metro areas where they already lived.

With the pandemic receding and most Americans pivoting toward other concerns, the two years basically have seen “people in some of the bigger cities on the East Coast just moving to suburbs or smaller communities a few more train stops away,” says Larry Gigerich, an economic development consultant. “It solves the hassle factor.”

And while “San Francisco did see a big out-migration, it’s very evident from postal-service data that a large share of them stayed in California, and many simply moved to counties further out,” says Mark Muro, a Brookings Institution senior researcher. “But that’s neither a lifeline for the heartland nor the end of Silicon Valley.”

Complete Coverage: Best & Worst States For Business 2022 >

Still, reactions to the coronavirus did heat up a few migratory routes that already were increasingly popular, including New Yorkers to Florida and Californians to Texas, as well as to Utah and other Rocky Mountain states. Also, people “are leaving Illinois” for lots of other places, “and it’s getting hard to get immigrants to move there,” says Alan Beaulieu, head of ITR Economics. “That means a bigger burden for the people who are left behind. There’s no positive spin on that.”

Another clear effect of the dynamics released by the pandemic—besides greater frictions in big-city living and the new era of remote work—is the creation of a number of new hot spots for young workers around the country, including medium-sized enclaves such as Virginia Beach, Virginia; Madison, Wisconsin; and Durham, North Carolina. Meanwhile, traditional tech strongholds, including Boston and San Francisco, have seen job growth slow or reverse.

“There’s new evidence of a group of up-and-coming, rising stars in tech-job growth, such as Dallas, Denver and Atlanta, that really are gaining momentum,” says Muro, who wrote a just-released report on the phenomenon. “I’m not betting against the tech-superstar cities, but there’s a case to be made for a few more echelons of places to grow and for some smaller places to compete by becoming platforms for people to work from home.”

Demographer Richard Florida agrees that “this whole creative-class thing has spread to Midwestern cities and others like Nashville and Tulsa. These cities have become cool. They’re working hard to make themselves interesting.”


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.