ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, January 30, 1996              TAG: 9601300068
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: B-6  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER 

COMERS, GOERS NEARLY EVEN IN VA. NEARLY AS MANY MOVE IN AS LEAVE, SAYS MOVER STUDY

About as many people moved into Virginia last year as moved out, according to a study by United Van Lines of its own household moving business.

The company, which claims to be the largest household goods mover in the country, reported 6,383 moves into Virginia last year, compared with 6,529 outbound shipments.

Immigrants accounted for 49.4 percent of the company's total shipments involving Virginia.

Nationwide, the mover said, Pennsylvania replaced California as the state with the highest level of household out-migration. The states with the next highest percentages of residents moving out in the company's experience were New York, Rhode Island, Indiana, New Jersey, Illinois, California, Connecticut and Ohio.

The state with the highest percentage of residents moving in compared with those leaving was Alaska, followed by Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Idaho, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Montana and Georgia.

The company surveyed 207,598 shipments overall last year. The survey showed a continuation of recent migration trends.

Many Western and Southeastern states saw high inbound traffic, while the highest outbound traffic was in California and a band of states stretching across the upper Midwest into New York and Connecticut.

States where out- and in-migration were in balance were in the Midwest, parts of the mid-Atlantic and northern New England.

United has conducted the survey annually since 1977. Executive Vice President Richard McClure said it has been shown to accurately reflect general migration patterns around the country.

LENGTH: Short :   40 lines
ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC:  Map by staff: 1995 migration patterns. color.