Where Americans are moving, and what they trade when they go
Americans are not simply chasing sunshine. Weighted by how many people actually moved, the clearest pattern in the Census data is a move toward lower prices, lower taxes, and, less often noticed, lower local pay.
By statenumbers.com · · 9 min read
In 2024, about 7.1 million Americans lived in a different state than they had a year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's state-to-state migration estimates. That sounds like a one-way exodus from some states to others, but most of the traffic cancels out. For every pair of states, people move in both directions. Subtracting each reverse flow leaves about 1.57 million net moves, roughly 22% of the total. Those net moves are what reshape states, and they are what this guide examines.
The five-year scoreboard
The Census Bureau's population estimates track net moves between states every year. From July 2020 to June 2025, 26 of the 50 states and DC gained residents from the rest of the country. Measured per 1,000 residents, so that small states are not drowned out by large ones, the leaders and laggards look like this:
| State | Per 1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | +71.0 | +364,272 |
| Idaho | +70.8 | +130,972 |
| Montana | +52.2 | +56,795 |
| Delaware | +51.4 | +50,977 |
| North Carolina | +44.8 | +468,133 |
| Maine | +40.3 | +54,977 |
| Tennessee | +40.1 | +277,999 |
| Florida | +38.4 | +828,686 |
| State | Per 1,000 | People |
|---|---|---|
| New York | −52.0 | −1,045,769 |
| California | −41.2 | −1,629,468 |
| Hawaii | −37.6 | −54,537 |
| Illinois | −33.7 | −431,149 |
| Alaska | −30.8 | −22,573 |
| Louisiana | −29.8 | −138,644 |
| District of Columbia | −27.6 | −18,507 |
| New Jersey | −22.8 | −211,131 |
US Census Bureau Population Estimates · PEP · Vintage 2025 · rel. January 27, 2026 · Official data
The raw counts tell a slightly different story from the rates. Florida and Texas added the most people in absolute terms, more than 750,000 each, but their size keeps their rates below those of smaller destinations such as South Carolina and Idaho. California lost the most people, 1,629,468, while New York lost the most relative to its population. The full ranking lists every state.
The busiest one-way corridors
Net figures by state hide where people actually go. The 2024 flow tables show the specific routes. These ten corridors had the largest net movement, after subtracting people who moved the opposite way:
| From → to | Moved | Moved back | Net | Price level change | Median rent change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California → Nevada | 53,289 | 21,133 | 32,156 | −10.7 | −$439 |
| California → Texas | 77,161 | 45,447 | 31,714 | −13.6 | −$633 |
| California → Arizona | 52,383 | 28,174 | 24,209 | −10.0 | −$493 |
| New York → Florida | 50,661 | 28,080 | 22,581 | −4.5 | +$48 |
| New York → New Jersey | 56,799 | 36,002 | 20,797 | +0.9 | +$99 |
| California → Florida | 36,194 | 15,988 | 20,206 | −7.3 | −$367 |
| Florida → Georgia | 52,371 | 34,388 | 17,983 | −7.1 | −$276 |
| California → Washington | 43,938 | 26,956 | 16,982 | −3.7 | −$276 |
| California → Oregon | 31,500 | 17,954 | 13,546 | −7.3 | −$511 |
| New York → South Carolina | 18,324 | 5,749 | 12,575 | −14.2 | −$441 |
Changes are destination minus origin: the overall price level in points (US = 100) and the median gross rent per month.
Census Bureau State-to-State Migration Flows · Migration · 2024 · rel. January 21, 2026 · Official data
California appears again and again as the origin. Its residents moved in large numbers to Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Washington, and Oregon, and in each case the destination had a lower price level and lower rent. Not every corridor follows that script. New Yorkers moving to New Jersey went to a state with a slightly higher price level and higher median rent, a pattern that reflects commuting distance to New York City rather than a search for cheaper living. More Oregonians moved to Washington than the reverse, even though Washington is the pricier state; it also has no tax on wages.
What the typical net move trades
To summarize all the corridors at once, we weighted each pair of states by its net flow and compared the destination with the origin on the measures this site tracks. The first column is the average difference per net mover; the second is the share of net movers who went to the state that is lower (or warmer) on that measure.
| Measure | Average change | Share moving toward… |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (US = 100) | −4.3 points | 69% a cheaper state |
| Median gross rent | −$164/mo | 66% lower median rent |
| Median home value | −$87,600 | 66% cheaper homes |
| Top income tax rate | −3.0 points | 68% a lower top income tax rate |
| Median household income | −$7,470 | 69% a lower median income |
| Average temperature (1991–2020) | +2.6°F | 57% a warmer state |
| Violent crime per 100,000 | −14.5 | 54% lower violent crime |
Net flows from the 2024 Census state-to-state tables, summed over every pair of states and DC. Climate excludes moves involving DC, which has no statewide NOAA series. Each measure uses the latest figure on this site for both states, not conditions in the year of the move.
Three patterns stand out.
Price is the most consistent signal. About 69% of net movers went to a state with a lower overall price level, and about 66% to a state with lower median rent. The average net move lowered the price level by 4.3 points and the median home value by about $88,000.
Taxes line up with prices. About 68% of net movers went to a state with a lower top income-tax rate. That is partly because several of the expensive states that lose the most people, including California, New York, Hawaii, and New Jersey, also have some of the highest income-tax rates, so cost and taxes are hard to separate in the data. No income tax does not always mean low tax, and destinations without one often lean harder on sales and property taxes.
Weather and safety are weaker pulls than their reputations. Only about 57% of net movers went somewhere warmer on average, and about 54% to a state with less violent crime, close to an even split. Sunbelt states do draw large numbers, but so do Idaho, Montana, Maine, and Delaware, none of them known for warm winters.
The trade most people don't mention: about 69% of net movers went to a state with a lower median household income, an average of $7,500 lower. Cheaper states usually pay less. That works in your favor if your income travels with you: a remote salary, a pension, or savings. It works against you if you will need a local job. Compare pay for your occupation in the destination before assuming the savings are real.
How to read migration numbers without being misled
- Gross and net are different stories. California sent 77,161 people to Texas in 2024, but 45,447 Texans moved to California. Headlines that quote only the first number exaggerate the flow.
- These are survey estimates. The flow tables come from the American Community Survey, and each estimate carries a margin of error. Large corridors are measured reasonably well; small flows between small states can be off by more than the estimate itself. Our state pages print the margins beside each flow.
- Two Census sources, two definitions. The five-year scoreboard uses the Population Estimates Program, built from tax returns, Medicare enrollment, and other records. The corridors use the survey. They answer different questions and will not match exactly.
- Reasons are not in the data. The flows record where people went, not why. Family, jobs, retirement, and housing all play a part, and a move toward a lower-tax state is not proof that taxes drove it.
- Statewide averages blur destinations. Nevada's statewide average temperature is cooler than California's because it averages in mountains and high desert, yet most movers land in Las Vegas or Reno. Check the city, not just the state.
Before you join a corridor
- Open the comparison for your two states to see the price levels, rent, taxes, and the movers in each direction.
- Use the destination's metro price level, because movers concentrate in particular cities.
- Check local pay for your job if you will need one, since many destinations pay less.
- Add the one-time cost of moving and work out the break-even point with our moving budget guide.