Connor Jordan is a proud Marylander. He was born here, attended Rockville High School, returned to teach here in the social studies department, and recently settled down in the area with his wife. Maryland is home for Jordan, and while he could do without the seasonal allergies, he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

In the English department, Elliot Berger is equally loyal to the state. In fact, he lived out of the state for 30 years, only to move back in 2014, and is now happily living in Silver Spring.

So it may come as a surprise to Jordan, Berger, and many other Maryland residents to hear that the state is one of the 10 least popular areas to move to, according to a recent study by Move Buddha, a website that tracks relocation trends. 

The study examines where the 22 percent of Americans who relocated in 2022 landed and lists Maryland with the fifth-lowest in-to-out ratio in the U.S., with .7 percent. This means that for every 100 people who moved out of the state, 70 moved in. To compare, Hawaii had a 2.62 in-to-out ratio. 

 “The thing that keeps me in Maryland is the fact my family’s here and my wife’s family’s here,” Jordan said.

For some Maryland residents, the cost of living could be a drawback. According to My Life Elsewhere, Maryland is 23.7 percent more expensive than the state of Texas. Maryland is also the 9th most expensive state in the country according to Living Cost.

“That’s why you see a lot of people moving out west to Frederick, because the cost of living is a lot different out there, but with all the new stuff it’s getting high there too,” Jordan said.

Some people may drop Maryland off their list of places to move because it’s a smaller state and may offer less to do than bigger states. However, Berger said the geography is actually a positive.

“I like the variety of geography: there’s mountains in the west and then DC offers a cosmopolitan area,” Berger said. 

Maryland also has many sports teams to root for, another plus for the state. 

 “This area is like a haven for sports, good sports teams in almost every sport which you can see [because of] all the players continuing to college playing that sport,” Jordan said.

Additionally, the weather in Maryland varies greatly. In the hot summers temperatures average around 73 degrees but can reach up to 100 degrees. And in the winter the average is around 34 degrees and goes into the low negatives at the coldest. As well as Maryland averages 20 inches of snow each year. So the variety can be a draw.

“It’s nice that we have all four seasons,” Jordan said. “My wife and I have talked about moving to Vermont, but up north it’s colder for a lot of the year, and then you go down south, and it’s way way way too hot. So the weather is good, in spite of the allergies.”

So, for someone like Berger, who lived in Chicago for many years and now calls Maryland home, our state is a great place to live.

“I can’t see myself moving,” Berger said. “I am proud to live here.”