The Milwaukee area had one of the biggest increases of U.S. metro areas for net arrivals (more people moving here than moving away) from April through August as the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the nation’s migratory patterns, according to data from LinkedIn Economic Graph Research.
The Milwaukee area had a net arrival gain of 4.5% from April to August, fourth highest gain for U.S. metro areas, according to LinkedIn Economic Graph Research. During that time period, Jacksonville, Florida had the highest net arrival gain at 10.7%, followed by Salt Lake City at 9.6% and Sacramento, California at 7.6%. Kansas City was fifth at 3.9%, ranking just behind the Milwaukee area.
The U.S. metro areas with the biggest declines in net arrivals from April to August were: New York City, -23.4%, San Francisco Bay Area, -21.1%; Seattle, -10.6%, Boston, -9.9% and Portland, Oregon, -9.67%.
An article by LinkedIn senior editor at large George Anders breaks down the numbers.
“As for Jacksonville, Milwaukee and Kansas City, all three are benefiting from relatively strong economies this year,” Anders writes. “Jacksonville is gaining as a logistics hub, including a new Amazon fulfillment center. Milwaukee is catching an updraft from Wisconsin’s relatively low unemployment rate: 6.2% in August compared with the national average of 8.4%.”
