Maine and Vermont are bucking an out-migration trend that’s hit the other New England states along with much of the Northeast.

Oregon, meanwhile, has eclipsed Nevada as the state that seems to have the greatest allure to people.

Both facts are gleaned from the most recent United Van Lines migration study. United has been tracking interstate household moves for the past 28 years. Its assumptions generally match U.S. Census conclusions.

In United’s survey of 2004 patterns, Maine had a total of 1,998 shipments: 1,034 were inbound and 964 were heading elsewhere. That’s a ratio of 51.8 percent inbound to 48.2 percent outbound.

Vermont’s inbound percentage was 51.5, with 48.5 percent of that state’s shipments outbound.

New Hampshire was nearly evenly split – 49.8 percent of shipments heading into the Granite State while 50.2 were outbound.

Connecticut’s outbound moves came to 52.8 percent; Rhode Island’s were at 54.8 percent outbound.

Massachusetts saw out-migration reach 55.5 percent, enough to have United list the state as one of 11 with a high number of people looking for a better life elsewhere.

Indiana had the greatest percent of shipments heading out-of-state – 64.1 percent – said United. North Dakota followed at 63.5 percent.

Oregon, meanwhile, proved to be a favorite of United’s customers, posting a 63.7 percent in-migration rate.

Nevada, consistently at or near the top of United’s in-migration statistics, had 62.6 percent of shipments inbound.

Florida also continued to draw new residents, with 59.9 percent of shipments there inbound.

California, which has been a perennial darling for people from the Gold Rush days through the nation’s Depression and Dust Bowl periods, saw its in-migration rate fall to 45.3 percent compared with an out-migration of 54.7 percent.