How Wisconsin is working to keep people in the state

Study ranks Wisconsin among most moved-from states

Amanda Quintana by Amanda Quintana

A new United Movers study is naming Wisconsin as the 10th most moved-from state in 2017. Twenty percent moved for family, but 60 percent moved for a job.

United Van Lines said 55 percent of its moves in Wisconsin were out of the state.

UW-Madison professor of economics Noah Williams said this has been happening for years.

“Since the recession, since 2008, it’s been net out-migration, so more people moving out than moving in,” said Williams.

He said since the early 2000s Wisconsin has about 7,000 more people leave than enter.

“Older people move out when they get to retirement age. So people moving to warmer weather, as the average age of the population, the workforce is getting older, so retirees take up a larger fraction,” said Williams.

He said the other group he sees moving out of Wisconsin the most is people under the age of 26. But Williams said the problem is not as severe as the study makes it seem.

Atlas Van Lines lists Wisconsin as “balanced” and U-Haul named Wisconsin the fourth best state for growth in 2016 – with Madison at the top of the list of cities.

The city of Madison stands out for success in attracting young professionals, unlike the rest of the state.

“The attraction of talent, the retention of talent is one of the No. 1 priorities for any state and Wisconsin has to be at the front of it,” said Tricia Braun, deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Although WEDC is confident the state can hold its own when it comes to population, Braun said they are working hard to get more people to move to Wisconsin.

This month WEDC will launch a $1 million marketing campaign to target UW alumni in bigger cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. The group hopes to get $6.8 million more to market to millennials and veterans across the country.

The ads promote a lower cost of living, property tax reduction, outdoor activities and shorter commutes.

“We actually have a really high retention rate when you compare us to other states, not just in the Midwest but throughout the country. So it’s that, but it’s also attracting more,” said Braun.

The United Van Lines study shows more people are leaving the Midwest for the mountain states and Pacific Northwest. Illinois is reported as losing the most residents.

“They just had a report out where they lost 86,000 people in the last decade. Wisconsin is a big benefactor of that population,” said Braun.

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