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The annual United Van Lines National Movers Study shows 59% of New York’s movers headed for greener — or sunnier — pastures in 2024, continuing a five-year trend.

Last year, with 2023 data in mind, it was ranked fourth highest for residents fleeing the state. And it continues a trend that became most prominent during the COVID lockdown years, when New Yorkers made a mass exodus to Florida in particular in search of fewer restrictions and greater opportunities for putting their kids in school.

Meanwhile, New Jersey was ranked the top outbound state for 2024 for the seventh consecutive year. The Garden state saw a 67% outbound migration, according to the study.

Florida, as has been the case for some time, remains a top escape route, luring nearly one in five former New Yorkers. The reasons for hitting the road include family ties, which topped the list (25.6%), followed by retirement dreams (20.8%) and better job opportunities (15.7%).

And 20% of those moving from New Jersey made their way to Florida, with top motivations being retirement and wanting to be closer to family as well.

Even Nassau-Suffolk and Poughkeepsie — both in New York — landed in the top 25 for metro areas people can’t wait to leave.

Still, New York hasn’t lost all its charm — 41% of movers came to the state this year, most for family or career changes.

And of the total newcomers, 52.8% of them are earning more than $150,000 a year.

Across the country, Americans are ditching high-cost cities for cheaper, less crowded places.

Sunbelt states like South Carolina and Alabama are seeing a surge in popularity as people chase affordability and a fresh start.

“Recent migration data from United Van Lines continues to reveal the lingering influences of the global pandemic,” Michael A. Stoll, a public policy professor at UCLA, noted in the study. “As housing costs continue to rise, Americans are moving to lower-density, more affordable regions.”