The most common time to move in the United States is May-September. Summer is the most popular time of the year to move for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is popular to move in the summer so that children do not have to leave school during the academic year. Additionally, in colder climates, people prefer to move in the summer so they do not have to deal with snow and ice. Keeping the tendency to move in the summer in mind, Google search trends for the term “moving” in California, Illinois, New York, and Texas were examined.
California Seasonal Moving Trends
Considering California’s climate, one would expect that searches for moving would be more constant throughout the year. While northern and mountainous areas of the state do experience winter, it is usually milder than winters in the Midwest or Northeast. Here are the Google search trends for “moving” from June 2012-June 2017:
In this graph a value of 100 means that the search term had peak popularity in the region for the given period of time. As expected, “moving” is often searched for in the summer months. A number of summer weeks rank in the 80s and a few weeks even reach as high as the lows 90s. The lower ranked months tended to be in November or December. However, there are a few outliers in this dataset. Multiple weeks in January and February of 2015 reached the high 80s, which may have been due to the record-setting drought at the time. Also, the peak search interest for moving occurred the week of November 6-12, 2016 when the interest hit 100. However, this abnormality was caused by the presidential election. At that time many people searched for moving, even if they were not truly considering a move.
Illinois Seasonal Moving Trends
Unlike California, most of Illinois has to deal with a harsh winter. Due to the cold and potentially dangerous conditions of an Illinois winter, moving can be even more skewed toward summer months. Let’s take a look at the Google search trend for “moving” in Illinois from June 2012- June 2017:
As was the case with California, the summer months of May-September seemed to be the most popular time to search for “moving”. Generally, searches for “moving” in Illinois start to rise in around April and hit peaks in June, July, or August. Similarly to California, the lowest volume of searches for “moving” tended to occur in November (with the exception of election week). As the summer heats up in 2017, so are searches for moving. The completed week with the highest number of searches in Illinois for moving was May 28- June 3, 2017, at 86. As many have noted, residents are usually moving out of Illinois and the summer is the most popular time to do it.
New York Seasonal Moving Trends
Another state in which climate plays a role in moving decisions is New York. In particular, northwest New York areas such as Buffalo are routinely pounded with snow. With weather patterns and the school year in mind, it would seem that searches relating to “moving” would increase in the spring and summer. Here are the Google search trends for “moving” in New York from June 2012- June 2017:
In comparing the trends from Illinois and New York, the results are somewhat similar. The most popular week in searches for “moving” occurred July 20-July 26, 2016. Just as in California and Illinois, November and December were the least popular times to search for “moving”. Once again, the week of the 2016 election provided a late fall outlier, hitting a score of 67, compared to the usual 40s or 50s in November. Overall, searches for “moving” were less popular in New York compared to California and Illinois, but still followed seasonal trends.
Texas Seasonal Moving Trends
Compared to most states, Texans who are moving have to be very careful about a summer move. Summer temperatures in the Lone Star State can often surge above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. With the often extreme weather conditions, it is possible that searches for “moving” may be spaced throughout the year. Here are the Google search trends for “moving” in Texas from June 2012-June 2017:
Despite the heat of Texas summers, search trends for “moving” were usually high between May and September. The most popular week for searches regarding moving in Texas occurred July 27- August 2, 2014, when searches for “moving” hit 100. Compared to the other states examined in this study, “moving” was consistently a more popular search in Texas. Unlike the other states in this study, “moving” remained a popular search trend in Texas during winter months. For example, for a month-long period between January 11 and February 28, 2015, the search popularity never fell below 75. While searches for “moving” were still the most popular in the summer months, “moving” was consistently searched for throughout the year in Texas.
Analysis
As expected, the summer months tended to be the most popular time of year to search for “moving”. However, certain factors such as droughts, state economies, or a presidential election led to more searches for “moving” outside of the summer. Due to warmer climates, residents in California and Texas searched for “moving” more consistently throughout the year compared to residents of Illinois and New York. When it comes time for your move, keep the time of year and location in mind.
