What states and cities are folks transferring out and in of?

Since the start of the pandemic, where Americans choose to live has changed and even now, people are still relocating – although at a lower scale.

Florida and Texas saw the biggest gain in movers, meanwhile California, New York and Illinois had the biggest number of people leave.

Data shows that 46% of all movers in 2021 said the main reason for moving was “housing-related,” which includes affordability and space, followed by family and jobs. Another factor people consider is taxes, and states that are getting a lot of new residents – like Florida and Texas – do not impose income taxes.

We are seeing similar trends in big cities.

According to a report from the National Association of Realtors based on United States Postal Service change of address data, cities like Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco and Chicago saw more people leaving than coming in — which is interesting because before the pandemic, people wanted to move to big city centers.

People are going to less dense and more affordable areas with better job market recovery, specifically in the Sun Belt.

Cities like Houston, Miami and Atlanta saw major inbound move rates. In fact, the Miami metro area saw the biggest inbound increase from before the pandemic – nearly 60% – while Houston saw the highest move-in rate.

People also moved to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Boston.

A big reason people are moving out of big cities is affordability. As housing becomes more expensive, people are more inclined to relocate to a different area for a lower cost of living.

Working from home during the pandemic allowed people who previously lived in expensive cities to relocate without quitting their jobs, which explains why more people have been going to the suburbs.