South Dakota continues to be a destination hot spot for movers

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - United Van Line uses data to track the number of people moving in and out of states.

“South Dakota is a really interesting state this year. It falls to number 2 just right behind Vermont with 69% moving in compared to moving out,” said Van Lines Director of Communications, Eily Cummings.

Most of those moves are coming from California, Colorado, Texas, and Illinois.

“In Rapid City especially, we’re seeing a lot of movement from nearby states like Colorado and Minnesota, but also a lot traction from states like California and Nevada as well,” said Cummings.

“We know a lot of people are moving here, they’re coming to visit here, when they come here, they like what they see,” said Communications Coordinator for Rapid City, Darrell Shoemaker.

Shoemaker says the city’s recent tax revenue, tourism numbers, and building permits show that the area is growing.

“We’re not surprised when we see national numbers that were right up there at the top of people wanting to come here, work here, raise a family here,” said Shoemaker.

Prioritizing family is a major trend coming out of the pandemic.

“About 37% of the people moving to South Dakota are wanting to be closer to maybe where they were brought up to be closer to friends and family. And we’re seeing that is very similar across the country where we’re seeing an increase of people wanting to be close to family,” explained Cummings.

So, whether it’s factors such as cost of living, lifestyle changes, or job opportunities, South Dakota is predicted to keep growing.

“We’ve always been a best-kept secret, but probably not so much a best-kept secret anymore,” said Shoemaker.