Nearly two of every three families making an interstate move involving New Jersey last year were leaving the Garden State, the highest rate in the country.

New Jersey had the greatest percentage of outbound moves of any state nationally last year with almost 65 percent departing, according to a company which bills itself as the largest transporter of household goods in the country.

The Garden State has led the nation in outward migration for the fourth time in five years.

In all, United said it tracked 4,003 moves out of New Jersey in 2014 compared to 2,169 inbound.

Nearly half of those leaving New Jersey were bound for Florida (15 percent), California (14), Texas (9) and North Carolina (7.5), spokeswoman Melissa Sullivan told NJ Advance Media.

Retirement and jobs were the top reasons to leave the state last year, according to a United Survey of departing New Jerseyans.

About 42 percent reported leaving for a new job or company transfer. Forty-one percent attributed their move to retirement. More than half (56 percent) of people leaving New Jersey were over the age of 55, with 22 percent older than 65.

Among the other states where more people moved out than in, New York's rate was second at 64 percent with Illinois third (63 percent). Two other northeast states also ranked in the top 10 — Pennsylvania was ninth and Connecticut 10th.

United Van Lines has been tracking moves for 38 years, it said.

While residents are fleeing New Jersey in far greater numbers than people are arriving, that's not the case in many states. In Oregon, nearly two-thirds (66) percent of the moves are inbound; In South Carolina and North Carolina, about 61 percent of the moves were inbound.

The study took into account 255,848 moves in all.

United is the mover for about 400 of the nation's Fortune 500 companies, Sullivan said.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.