Interstate migration: Who are the winners?

People move across state lines for many reasons: cheaper housing, lower taxes, work opportunities and climate among them.

Interstate migration was high immediately following the pandemic, but in 2024 it fell sharply to 2.1% of the U.S. population — a 13.1% drop in just two years.

Elevated mortgage rates are playing a role in locking some homeowners in place. Personal relationships, however — family, friends and romantic interests — represent the most common motivation among those who still made a move across state lines.

StorageCafe.com dove into the data about who is moving where and why, and published its findings in June. Essentially, the website’s analysts say, America is more cautious and constrained: Citizens no longer view moving across state lines as an obvious path to saving money.

The states currently attracting the most new residents continue to be concentrated in the South and the Mountain West. However, northern and Midwest states are beginning to gain ground.

The 10 states receiving the most interstate migration are:

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. South Carolina
4. Arizona
5. Nevada
6. North Carolina
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. Ohio
10.  Oklahoma

Source: https://www.storagecafe.com/blog/us-interstate-migration-trends-state-winners-losers/