Stoked by millennials and Gen X, Texas led the country in home buyers who changed states.
Southern states overall saw an uptrend in net migration, according to the latest Census Bureau data, drawing house hunters with relative affordability and job growth. These patterns can be bellwethers for the next hot markets and the rate of price growth.
See which states had the largest and smallest influxes of migrating home buyers.
Check your home buying options. Start hereMigration patterns
The last few years forced borrowers to navigate a difficult home buying market teeming with low affordability, few (but increasing) for-sale options, and the lock-in effect of Covid-era interest rates.
These factors shifted buyer behavior, lowering overall activity while increasing the share of out-of-state movers, based on a report from StorageCafe.
About 7.6 million home buyers changed states in 2023, a group that oscillated between 7.3 million and 8.2 million since 2014, according to Census Bureau data. This compared to 30 million same-state movers in 2023, a gradually declining share from 37.6 million in 2014.
| Year | Different-state movers (million) | Same-state movers (million) | Total |
| 2014 | 7.3 | 37.6 | 44.9 |
| 2015 | 7.5 | 37.1 | 44.6 |
| 2016 | 7.6 | 37 | 44.6 |
| 2017 | 7.5 | 36.5 | 44 |
| 2018 | 7.6 | 35.9 | 43.5 |
| 2019 | 7.4 | 35 | 42.4 |
| 2020 | 7.4 | 35.3 | 42.7 |
| 2021 | 7.9 | 32.6 | 40.5 |
| 2022 | 8.2 | 31 | 39.2 |
| 2023 | 7.6 | 30 | 37.6 |
“The primary factors driving migration patterns remain the same as they have been for much of America’s history,” said Cullom Clark, director at the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative. “While individuals move for all kinds of reasons, large net flows in one direction almost invariably reflect moves towards some combination of better economic opportunity, better quality of life, and more affordable living costs, particularly housing costs.”
Overall, 28 states had more home buyers come in than leave in 2023. Texas led the country with a net migration of 137,582, barely edging out Florida’s 136,750. North Carolina (110,833), South Carolina (72,404) and Georgia (61,980) rounded out the top five.
Notably, the Carolinas, North Dakota, Idaho and Delaware had the highest home buyer inflows per capita, all with ratios above 10. Meanwhile, the most affluent newcomers with average incomes above $70K moved to New Jersey, California and Washington, D.C.; the highest shares of remote workers moved to D.C. (30%), Connecticut (27%) and Colorado (27%); and the largest shares with Bachelor’s degrees or higher went to D.C. (57%), Massachusetts (51%) and New Jersey (50%).
Check your home buying options. Start hereThe table below shows the states with positive net migration in 2023:
| Rank | State | Net Migration | Net Migration per 1,000 Residents | Personal Income of Newcomers | Personal Income per State | Home Value | Average Age of Newcomers | Employed Newcomers Working from Home | Newcomers with Bachelor's Degree or Higher |
| 1 | Texas | 137,582 | 4.51 | $57,133 | $57,925 | $296,900 | 32 | 23% | 34% |
| 2 | Florida | 136,750 | 6.05 | $66,921 | $56,245 | $381,000 | 39 | 25% | 38% |
| 3 | North Carolina | 110,833 | 10.23 | $54,458 | $54,551 | $308,600 | 33 | 23% | 37% |
| 4 | South Carolina | 72,404 | 13.47 | $55,632 | $51,460 | $272,900 | 34 | 20% | 29% |
| 5 | Georgia | 61,980 | 5.62 | $54,764 | $55,451 | $323,000 | 33 | 19% | 33% |
| 6 | Arizona | 56,969 | 7.67 | $56,331 | $56,941 | $411,200 | 37 | 21% | 32% |
| 7 | Indiana | 32,035 | 4.67 | $44,539 | $50,926 | $225,900 | 32 | 16% | 30% |
| 8 | Colorado | 30,626 | 5.21 | $65,147 | $68,289 | $550,300 | 31 | 27% | 43% |
| 9 | Tennessee | 27,791 | 3.9 | $51,078 | $52,241 | $307,300 | 34 | 18% | 32% |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 25,058 | 6.18 | $46,761 | $49,080 | $208,600 | 32 | 19% | 24% |
| 11 | Idaho | 19,678 | 10.02 | $40,561 | $51,299 | $428,600 | 32 | 16% | 23% |
| 12 | Virginia | 19,071 | 2.19 | $63,104 | $65,944 | $382,900 | 32 | 21% | 39% |
| 13 | Nevada | 18,746 | 5.87 | $60,972 | $56,182 | $441,100 | 37 | 19% | 30% |
| 14 | Alabama | 17,755 | 3.48 | $43,325 | $48,450 | $216,600 | 31 | 12% | 26% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 17,152 | 2.9 | $47,479 | $54,135 | $272,500 | 32 | 17% | 37% |
| 16 | Arkansas | 10,255 | 3.34 | $47,132 | $46,435 | $195,700 | 33 | 16% | 24% |
| 17 | Delaware | 9,153 | 8.87 | $52,556 | $58,879 | $359,700 | 38 | 16% | 32% |
| 18 | North Dakota | 8,442 | 10.77 | $31,913 | $55,999 | $246,700 | 26 | 4% | 23% |
| 19 | Maine | 8,040 | 5.76 | $63,848 | $53,477 | $310,700 | 36 | 26% | 43% |
| 20 | Kentucky | 6,042 | 1.33 | $44,818 | $47,429 | $211,800 | 33 | 15% | 25% |
| 21 | Mississippi | 5,214 | 1.77 | $39,823 | $43,417 | $169,800 | 33 | 20% | 26% |
| 22 | Hawaii | 4,885 | 3.4 | $55,518 | $58,520 | $846,400 | 32 | 9% | 35% |
| 23 | Vermont | 4,657 | 7.19 | $43,340 | $55,430 | $332,000 | 33 | 26% | 39% |
| 24 | New Mexico | 3,097 | 1.46 | $48,300 | $49,028 | $256,300 | 35 | 16% | 32% |
| 25 | Nebraska | 2,302 | 1.16 | $44,896 | $55,135 | $245,200 | 29 | 13% | 31% |
| 26 | South Dakota | 1,390 | 1.51 | $50,894 | $54,292 | $268,200 | 33 | 14% | 27% |
| 27 | Montana | 392 | 0.35 | $47,119 | $52,183 | $392,300 | 35 | 18% | 35% |
| 28 | Iowa | 79 | 0.02 | $43,155 | $52,058 | $213,300 | 32 | 14% | 27% |
Generational shifts
While house hunters of all ages search for improved living conditions and lower costs, their landing places vary by generation.
See what mortgage rate you can qualify for here.Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lists feature many of the same states. The top destinations were South Carolina for Gen Z, Texas for millennials, Gen X and the Silent Generation, and Florida for baby boomers.
The table below shows each generation’s top 10 states by 2023 net migration:
| State | Gen Z net migration | State | Millennial net migration | State | Gen X net migration | State | Baby boomers net migration | State | Silent Generation net migration | ||||
| South Carolina | 24,161 | Texas | 46,236 | Texas | 29,106 | Florida | 50,615 | Texas | 6,287 | ||||
| Arizona | 22,309 | North Carolina | 30,935 | Florida | 23,261 | North Carolina | 20,349 | Virginia | 4,383 | ||||
| North Carolina | 22,252 | Florida | 25,189 | North Carolina | 12,028 | South Carolina | 16,891 | Arizona | 3,344 | ||||
| District of Columbia | 14,099 | Colorado | 22,812 | South Carolina | 11,931 | Arizona | 14,829 | Indiana | 3,037 | ||||
| Florida | 14,098 | Georgia | 20,279 | Georgia | 11,341 | Georgia | 13,568 | North Carolina | 2,330 | ||||
| Colorado | 12,770 | Arizona | 10,181 | Tennessee | 8,379 | Oklahoma | 6,788 | Nevada | 1,486 | ||||
| Indiana | 12,001 | South Carolina | 8,762 | Oklahoma | 4,625 | Idaho | 6,125 | Maryland | 1,340 | ||||
| Tennessee | 10,207 | Connecticut | 7,588 | Mississippi | 4,400 | Nevada | 5,267 | Colorado | 1,315 | ||||
| Virginia | 10,075 | Wisconsin | 6,702 | Nevada | 4,354 | Missouri | 4,826 | Kansas | 1,205 | ||||
| North Dakota | 9,473 | Oklahoma | 5,538 | Alabama | 3,853 | Delaware | 4,578 | Delaware | 1,193 |
The biggest losers
Meanwhile, net migration fell in 22 states plus Washington, D.C. as many home buyers pursued greener pastures of affordability.
Check your home buying eligibility hereThe traditionally expensive quartet of California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey lost the most home buyers in 2023 — and are the only states with negative net migration each year for the last 10 years of data. Per capita, D.C., New Hampshire, New York, Louisiana, and New Jersey had the largest outflows of homeowners.
The table below shows the states with negative net migration in 2023:
| Rank | State | Net Migration | Net Migration per 1,000 Residents | Personal Income of Newcomers | Personal Income per State | Home Value | Average Age of Newcomers | Employed Newcomers Working from Home | Newcomers with Bachelor's Degree or Higher |
| 51 | California | -258,618 | -6.64 | $72,591 | $68,063 | $725,800 | 32 | 21% | 49% |
| 50 | New York | -186,533 | -9.53 | $68,357 | $66,197 | $420,200 | 31 | 22% | 48% |
| 49 | Illinois | -89,936 | -7.17 | $56,983 | $61,189 | $263,300 | 32 | 24% | 43% |
| 48 | New Jersey | -66,994 | -7.21 | $74,649 | $71,703 | $461,000 | 33 | 19% | 50% |
| 47 | Maryland | -38,671 | -6.26 | $65,595 | $68,502 | $413,600 | 32 | 20% | 46% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | -34,909 | -4.99 | $61,814 | $72,479 | $570,800 | 31 | 22% | 51% |
| 45 | Pennsylvania | -33,990 | -2.62 | $50,425 | $55,692 | $259,900 | 32 | 23% | 38% |
| 44 | Louisiana | -33,824 | -7.4 | $48,793 | $48,290 | $215,600 | 34 | 12% | 25% |
| 43 | Michigan | -23,079 | -2.3 | $48,684 | $51,831 | $236,100 | 36 | 18% | 36% |
| 42 | New Hampshire | -13,661 | -9.74 | $58,703 | $63,730 | $415,400 | 35 | 24% | 45% |
| 41 | Minnesota | -12,356 | -2.15 | $49,904 | $60,909 | $328,600 | 31 | 15% | 39% |
| 40 | Kansas | -12,035 | -4.09 | $40,675 | $51,832 | $219,800 | 32 | 9% | 28% |
| 39 | District Of Columbia | -8,373 | -12.33 | $71,494 | $101,863 | $715,500 | 28 | 30% | 57% |
| 38 | Ohio | -8,266 | -0.7 | $49,506 | $52,455 | $220,200 | 33 | 19% | 35% |
| 37 | Utah | -7,846 | -2.3 | $52,891 | $57,302 | $517,700 | 29 | 15% | 30% |
| 36 | Washington | -6,673 | -0.85 | $67,897 | $70,391 | $576,000 | 33 | 20% | 43% |
| 35 | Oregon | -5,090 | -1.2 | $59,585 | $57,976 | $484,800 | 36 | 22% | 40% |
| 34 | Rhode Island | -2,766 | -2.52 | $55,684 | $59,677 | $411,800 | 33 | 25% | 47% |
| 33 | West Virginia | -2,457 | -1.39 | $47,448 | $44,424 | $163,700 | 36 | 10% | 24% |
| 32 | Wyoming | -1,253 | -2.15 | $42,840 | $52,731 | $298,700 | 34 | 12% | 35% |
| 31 | Alaska | -588 | -0.8 | $57,046 | $59,924 | $347,500 | 29 | 9% | 34% |
| 30 | Connecticut | -448 | -0.12 | $69,039 | $69,855 | $367,800 | 33 | 27% | 44% |
| 29 | Missouri | -12 | 0 | $45,527 | $51,603 | $233,600 | 33 | 15% | 29% |
The bottom line
Is 2025 going to be the year you buy a house?
If you’re planning a move — whether in-state or out-of-state, an expensive market or not — borrowers should check their eligibility for financial assistance programs.
Interest rates have descended and 2024 is anticipated to be a big year for home buying. Knowing whether to expect a big influx of borrower competition in your city can help you get ahead of the curve.
If you’re ready to become a homeowner, reach out to a local lender and start your process today.
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