In this article, we will be navigating through the current and previous domestic migration patterns across the United States and the US cities most people recently moved to. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 U.S. Cities Most People Moved To: 2024 Rankings.
Current Migration Patterns Across the US: An Analysis
Domestic migration patterns influence population dynamics in the United States. As reported by the US Census Bureau, migration returning to patterns that have not been seen since before 2020, has led to a rebound in the US population. The South contributed to 87% of the national population growth in 2023. Net domestic migration resulted in the addition of 706,266 people while net international migration added 500,000 to the total.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more states gained population in 2023. 42 US states and the District of Columbia experienced a rise in their populations. While net international migration going back to pre-pandemic levels played a role in this pattern, a decrease in net domestic outmigration for some states was another contributing factor. Based on numeric population growth, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina ranked as the top states. These numeric growths were recorded at 473,453 for Texas, 365,205 for Florida, and 139,526 for North Carolina in 2023. Some of the fastest-growing cities in Florida and the fastest-growing cities in Texas have been previously covered.
The US Census Bureau further reported the impact of domestic migrations on county populations. More US counties saw population growth than losses in 2023. Between 2022 and 2023, 1,876 of the counties experienced population gains. This number rose from 1,649 growing counties between 2021 and 2022. The Midwest and Northeast witnessed more population gains in their counties in 2023. One of the leading factors driving population growth in counties was net domestic migration. In 2023, 62% of counties saw positive net domestic migration. In the West, the number of counties experiencing positive domestic migration decreased from 275 in 2022 to 253 in 2023. All other regions recorded a rise. For instance, counties with positive rates of domestic migration in the South went up from 957 to 1,014, and from 561 to 581 in the Midwest in 2023. At the same time, the share of counties with positive domestic migration in the Northeast climbed from 44% in 2022 to 52% in 2023.
Previous Domestic Migration Trends
On November 21, 2023, The US Census Bureau reported that people who moved between the states increased from almost 7.9 million people in 2021 to nearly 8.2 million people in 2022. State-to-state migration flows reveal that the largest group of people moved between highly populated states. For instance, 102,442 people moved from California to Texas while 91,201 movers migrated from New York to Florida. You can also take a look at some of the most densely populated states in the US.
Movers also left highly populated states for their neighboring states for example people moved from New York to New Jersey. New York and California were among the top states that many Americans left in 2022. 75,103 New Yorkers migrated to cheaper states such as New Jersey in 2022 where they could easily commute to work. 91,201 people left New York and resorted to a warmer state such as Florida. At the same time, people from California migrated to Texas and Arizona, states where the technology industry has been progressing. In 2022, Texas welcomed 102,442 people from California while 74,157 Californians moved to Arizona.
The US Census Bureau has reported some of the driving factors behind state-to-state migration in 2022. The first reason was housing which accounted for a total of 41.6% of movers. Simultaneously, 26.5% of the movers attributed their migration decision to family reasons. 15.8% of the total movers cited employment as the factor driving their move. The remaining 13.9% of movers mentioned other reasons including attending or leaving college, relationship with an unmarried partner, health reasons, change of climate, or natural disaster.
Companies Assisting with Domestic Moves
Moving across the country can be overwhelming for many. Companies that help Americans with such domestic moves include U-Haul Holding Company (NYSE:UHAL), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW), and The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD). Let's take a look at the kind of assistance each of them has to offer.
U-Haul Holding Company (NYSE:UHAL) operates as a moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company. The company offers an online marketplace where consumers can connect with independent Moving Help service providers and independent self-storage affiliates. U-Box moving containers are provided by U-Haul Holding Company (NYSE:UHAL) as a solution for those looking for a hands-off move. These containers can enable both small and extra-large moves as well as moves where the mover is not sure about the destination. Moving Help delivers these boxes to a local U-Haul center where they can be stored until the customer has finalized the destination. The firm also claims to offer the largest selection of trucks for one’s move.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) has facilitated moves on local, interstate, and international levels. The company’s Moving Service works as a quality residential and commercial mover in the Metropolitan area. It has been in operation since 1924 and holds an experience of over 500,000 intrastate and interstate moves as well as more than 100,000 office and industrial moves. Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) offers 150,000 square feet of storage facilities for household goods, commercial equipment, or sensitive electronics. In addition to this, the firm also aids in the disposal of old furniture other than systems, furniture, and equipment installation. Thus, Americans looking to move with ease can seek the moving services of the firm.
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) partners with Bellhop which has facilitated more than 300,000 moves. The company’s partners at Bellhop enable customer’s belongings to be moved. Bellhop has a network of local movers who also provide help with loading or unloading a moving truck or re-arranging belongings. Moves with The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) and its partnering reliable movers can be planned in a time duration as short as one day. The firm doesn’t charge any fee if a move is rescheduled or canceled more than 72 hours ahead of the actual reservation time. The company offers access to moving truck and cargo van rentals for both short moves as well as distant migration across the US.
Now that we have looked at the dynamics of domestic moves in the United States and the available moving services, let’s move to the 20 US cities most people moved to.
20 U.S. Cities Most People Moved to: 2024 Rankings
20 U.S. Cities Most People Moved to: 2024 Rankings
Our Methodology:
In order to compile a list of the 20 US cities most people moved to, we utilized the data the US Census Bureau reports at the metro level. We have used the net domestic migration as our metric for this ranking. The most recent data is available from 2023. Therefore, we have ranked the metros in our list in ascending order of their net positive domestic migrations in 2023.
20 U.S. Cities Most People Moved To: 2024 Rankings
20. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Net Domestic Migration: 15,061
In 2023, Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach recorded a net positive domestic migration of 15,061. The metro's population has also experienced a rise from 2022 to 2023.
19. Ocala, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:15,167
Ocala ranks among the 20 US metros where most people moved to. In 2023, the city had a net positive domestic migration of 15,167.
18. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
Net Domestic Migration:15,533
Raleigh-Cary is another metro where Americans have been heading to. The metro’s population increased by 29,151 between 2022 and 2023.
17. Port St. Lucie, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:15,849
St. Lucie County in Florida hosts the US city of Port St. Lucie. Domestic migration for the city was reported to be 15,849 in 2023. Hence, Port St. Lucie is one of the US cities where most people have moved to.
Net positive domestic migration was recorded at 17,324 for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro—Franklin in 2023. This ranks the metro 16th on our list.
15. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:17,451
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford is another Florida metro people have resorted to. Between 2022 and 2023, the metro’s population went up by 54,916.
14. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:17,570
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach has the 14th highest net domestic migration value among other US metros which was recorded at 17,570 in 2023.
13. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia
Net Domestic Migration:18,386
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell has also been getting attention from the US movers. In 2023, net domestic migration for the metro was 18,386.
12. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
Net Domestic Migration:19,642
While the population rose by 49,240 between 2022 and 2023 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, its net domestic migration was 19,642. This indicates that many people have been moving to the metro.
11. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:19,826
Net domestic migration for North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota was 19,826 in 2023. Hence, North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota is another metro to which people have migrated.
10. Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine, Texas
Net Domestic Migration:21,913
People have also been moving to Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine. In 2023, the metro had a net positive domestic migration of 21,913.
9. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
Net Domestic Migration:22,339
Population in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos increased from 2,423,170 in 2022 to 2,473,275 in 2023. Furthermore, net domestic migration for the metro was 22,339.
8. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:26,029
In 2023, Lakeland-Winter Haven recorded a net positive domestic migration of 26,029. This ranks Lakeland-Winter Haven 8th on our list.
7. Jacksonville, Florida
Net Domestic Migration:27,464
Jacksonville is a populous city based in Florida which ranks among the 20 US cities most people moved to. The city has a net positive domestic migration of 27,464.
6. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Net Domestic Migration:29,403
The net domestic migration value for Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia was recorded at 29,403 in 2023. Additionally, the metro’s population increased between 2022 and 2023.
