September 12, 2014

Chicago Named Most Popular Metro Area For Families To Move

United Van Lines Survey Revealed Most Moves Were for New Jobs or Corporate Transfers; 27 Companies Have Located New Headquarters in Chicago Since 2011

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that Chicago has been named the most popular metro area for U.S. families to move to, based on data collected from United Van Lines in its Summer Long-Distance Moving Trends Study. Summer is considered the peak season for family moves in the U.S. and in the survey of customers moving to the top destination cities, over 70 percent moved for a new job or corporate transfer.

“United’s survey shows that our efforts to build the Chicago of tomorrow by investing in a diverse and highly educated workforce and recruitment of new businesses are having an impact,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Chicago’s population is growing, our tech and healthcare sectors are thriving, and we continue to build out our legacy financial and professional service industries, all the while focusing resources on neighborhoods across the City to ensure that all Chicago residents have access to the benefits that this economic growth provides.”

Since coming into office, Mayor Emanuel has announced that 99 companies have opened offices and 27 companies have chosen to locate corporate headquarters in Chicago. Earlier this year, Site Selection Magazine named Chicago the top metro in North America for corporate relocations. In 2013, the City added more than 5,800 residents, the third consecutive year of population growth and a reversal of more than a decade of population decline.

For its survey, United analyzed domestic moves during what is considered the peak moving season - May 1 to August 31, 2014. Approximately 40 percent of all domestic household goods moves take place during this period. The survey also found that high volumes of millennial moving to the Midwest drove considerable growth.

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