America is a mobile nation. With more than 46,000 miles of interstate highways connecting the states from the Pacific Northwest to New England, Appalachia to the Southwest and everywhere in between, we’ve got more than a few seasonal nomads who use these roads to chase the sun – or snow – annually.
While historically, snowbirds had to rely on cumbersome, expensive shipping options to get their large items like vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, and jet-skis to their summer (or winter) spot, solutions like uShip let them send their favorite things where and when they want them, affordably.
In our trends report, America, We Ship, we found that snowbirds seem to have a major effect on the stats of shipping for individual states, with the top shipping destinations lining up nicely with spots widely popular with the seasonally-minded crowd.
Florida
Floridians shipped 92,907 items in 2017 – 82% of which traveled through other states. This is more than three times as many shipments as any other state. So what gives? The surge is most likely due to the seasonality of the Sunshine state. An estimated 1 million “snowbirds” live in Florida part-time, and for many, bringing a vehicle or boat along is a must.
Colorado
On the other side of the coin, Coloradans sent 22,000 shipments last year. Thousands flock to the Rockies to fulfill their snow-centric lifestyles every year, and many bring cars, trucks and snowmobiles along.
Nevadans
Between Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, there’s more than enough drawing people to the Silver State, and clearly, they’re eager to bring their large items along.
Georgia
Thanks both to the massive infrastructure of Atlanta, and its proximity to Florida, Georgia is the fourth most popular state for shipping. Georgians shipped 33,985 items in 2017.
Arizona
More snowbirds here. More than 26,000 items were shipped in Arizona, likely thanks to the affluent crowd of seasonal residents who rely on having their household items, boats or vehicles for the season.
Not surprisingly, some other states aren’t so big for snowbird shipping. Mississippians only shipped around 5,500 items last year, and Maine residents shipped just 3,318. Meanwhile, Alaskans sent 1,870 and Hawaiians shipped 1,723. Makes some sense, given the whole island factor.
Check out the video below for more on the most popular states for shipping:
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