RALEIGH – North Carolina is among the top hotspots that people are fleeing to in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous reports show.

The Old North State ranked No. 7 on the list of states that saw the biggest influx of new moves between March and August this year in data compiled by moving company United Van Lines.

North Carolina saw a 60 percent inbound move rate during the pandemic, but minus 40 percent of those already living in the state moved away.

Vermont topped the list with three out of every four moves headed to the state, followed by Idaho and Oregon.

“If we just look at the last few months, the top states to move to are not necessarily known for their major metropolitan areas, which shows potential trend to less populated areas,” said Eily Cummings, spokeswoman for United Van Lines’ parent company, UniGroup.

Meanwhile, New York and New Jersey are the states that have seen the biggest exodus of residents.

The data shows that just under half of those moving from New York went to cities in North Carolina, Florida, Texas and California.

Redfin backs up

In a separate Redfin study, Charlotte is one of the top destinations for homebuyers looking to move to a different metro region.

It ranked No. 10 with a net inflow of 2,234 – meaning that much more people are looking to move in than leave.

Sacramento, Phoenix and Las Vegas—all places with a median home price of under $475,000— nabbed the top spots, respectively.

The latest migration analysis is based on a sample of more than 1.5 million Redfin.com users who searched for homes across 87 metro areas in the second quarter of 2020, excluding searches unlikely to precede an actual relocation or home purchase.

To be included in this dataset, a Redfin.com user must have viewed at least 10 homes in a particular metro area, and homes in that area must make up at least 80 percent of the user’s searches.

“People who can work remotely are re-examining where they want to live, and for most of them that means they’re looking at places that are less expensive,” said Veronica Clyatt, a Redfin agent in Pleasanton, CA, in a statement.

View on the ground

Michael Haley, Wake County Economic Development’s executive director, said Wake County has been among the fastest-growing communities in the country for several years now.

“Wake County continues to grow by 64 people every day with 43 moving here and 21 that are born here,” he told WRAL TechWire this week.

Many are moving from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California, and the project activity in Wake County remains “quite robust” throughout the pandemic, he added

There are currently 34 active projects representing over 7,300 jobs and $1.4 billion in potential capital investment.

“The market’s strength in highly-skilled talent, diverse local economy, and reputation for innovation are driving these companies to look at our community,” he said.

However, as the pandemic stretches on and with the upcoming presidential election, he said they are seeing extended timelines.

“The first quarter of 2021 will be the best indicator of what is to come.”