The refugees from public health and democracy that Kristi Noem got to move to South Dakota may not have much staying power. Moving companies report that in 2023 and 2024, more people moved out of South Dakota than moved in:
More people are moving out of South Dakota than moving in, according to a migration patterns study by Atlas Van Lines.
South Dakota ranks 9th in the top 10 of outbound states. The study said 56% moved out while 44% moved in during 2024. It’s the second year in a row more people have left the state than moved in, according to the study.
…Meanwhile, a study from United Van Lines said in 2024 that the total outbound migration from the state was 53% (52.8%) while the inbound migration was 47% (47.2%). Two Midwest states made the top 10 outbound moves; North Dakota was sixth, and Nebraska was ninth [Rae Yost, “More Move from South Dakota Than In, Study Says,” KELO-TV, 2025.12.05].
Actually, while Yost pints to her 2022 report on U-Haul and United Van Lines data showing inbound moves to South Dakota topping outbound, Atlas has not shown more people moving in than moving out in the last ten years. Their 2023 report showed inbound even with outbound in 2022, but that’s as close as our comings have come to matching our goings:
Surprisingly, Yost doesn’t mention that Sioux Falls is leading South Dakota’s tilt toward exodus:
Atlas Van Lines also finds some of our favorite blue states are recovering from previous outmigration:
We shouldn’t be surprised that the influx Noem touted was temporary. After all, Kristi Noem came back to South Dakota to run for Governor in 2018, but even she could only stay for a few years before moving back to Washington, D.C., which has been a consistently popular destination among Atlas Van Line customers:
