2025 Moving Trends Report: Where are Americans looking to move right now?
(Update: March 10, 2025)
Spring 2025 Moving Trends:
- Most popular state in 2025 is still South Carolina, so far, earning way more searches for moves into the state than out. Its 2.18 in-to-out move ratio means more than twice as many people search to move in vs. out. Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, and Delaware are next in line.
- North Carolina claims the highest volume of inbound searches, 15.75% of net inbound searches, outpacing South Carolina (15.57%) and Texas (14.86%).
- The Southeast is the place to be. From South Carolina (#1) to Tennessee (#2) and North Carolina (#3) to Alabama (#4), movers are indicating a strong preference for the region, often touted for its affordability, job opportunities, and outdoor access.
- Myrtle Beach is the #1 city earning way more moves in than out in early 2025. The coastal town is leading a surge of interest in moving to Southeastern mid-sized cities like Huntsville, Greenville, and Knoxville. Vancouver, WA, is the only non-Southeastern hotspot.
- New York City is the top exit city of 2025, so far, seeing way more people looking to move out than in, and high-cost California cities like Long Beach, San Diego, and San Jose are too.
It’s been 5 years since the U.S. declared COVID-19 a national emergency on March 13, 2020.
In the world of real estate, it was the beginning of shifts in inflation, politically driven relocations, supply chain disruptions, and moving patterns that have yet to snap back. The pandemic propelled Americans toward both early retirement and new remote work hotspots with a high quality of life, thrusting new cities and states into the relocation spotlight.
Today, pandemic after-shocks continue to shape new moves. In 2025, movers are still seeking out affordability and access to nature, with an increasing interest in moves into affordable, mid-sized cities and low-density states where they find thriving job markets, low costs, and, often, big nature.
We examined 55,000 searches made in 2025 so far (Jan 1 to March 10) using moveBuddha’s Moving Cost Calculator to uncover the moving trends shaping this year so far. Here’s what we found.
Table of Contents:
I. Nationwide, where are moves headed in 2025?
II. 2025’s least popular states, so far
III. Which cities are especially popular in 2025, across the country?
Methodology & Sources
Our track record
I. Nationwide, where are moves headed in 2025?
It’s not all about cities. With land use restrictions, permitting, transfer taxes, and prevailing wages all wrapped up in state laws, some states are more accessible to would-be movers.
Nationwide, which states are attracting interest from prospective movers at the highest rates in 2025?
We analyzed moveBuddha search data and compared the rate of searches for moves into a state vs. out of a state to uncover 2025’s most popular states to move to.
Most popular state in 2025 is still South Carolina
With a 2.18 in-to-out ratio, according to moveBuddha data, South Carolina sees 26% higher in-move interest compared to the next most popular state. While 2025 is young, the pattern is strong: it’s the 6th year in a row that movers have shown more than double the interest for moves in than out.
Click the year “button” below to see the year-to-year change in moving trends:
And it’s not just this Southern home of sweet tea and barbecue. Neighboring states North Carolina (1.61) and Tennessee (1.73) also consistently rake in significantly more searches for moves in vs. out.
Here are the most popular states that people are moving to in 2025, so far:
| Rank | State | In-to-out Move Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 2.18 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 1.73 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 1.61 |
| 4 | Alabama | 1.56 |
| 5 | Delaware | 1.51 |
| 6 | Maine | 1.47 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 1.47 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 1.44 |
| 9 | Idaho | 1.40 |
| 10 | Mississippi | 1.38 |
The big shift: Southeastern states like Alabama and Mississippi feature in the top 10
Alabama (1.56) and Mississippi (1.38) are newcomers to the top 10 by in-to-out move ratio in 2025. Both states have seen consistent increases in move-in interest since 2023.
Overall, areas with a lower cost of living, a temperate climate, and access to outdoor activities continue to see the most growth. Meanwhile, expensive areas continue to see outflow as the cost of living becomes an increasing challenge.
The states with the highest net volume of searches for moves in: North Carolina #1
When it comes to the pure volume of searches, the most populous states always top the list: California, Florida, and, of course, Texas. But volume doesn’t tell the whole story.
We also looked at net volume: the number of searches for moves in minus the number of searches for moves out.
Here are the 5 states with the highest net volume of searches for moves in:
II. Getting away from the Crowd: 2025’s least popular states
For outbound moves, densely populated urban states are the least popular destinations, with many more people looking to leave than relocate there.
Least popular states of 2025
| Rank | State | In-to-out Move Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | 0.55 |
| 2 | California | 0.57 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 0.61 |
| 4 | New York | 0.63 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 0.65 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 0.72 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 0.75 |
| 8 | Maryland | 0.77 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 0.78 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 0.80 |
The story hasn’t changed in California (0.57) and New Jersey (0.55). These two states have ranked among the top 3 exit states since 2020.
These states, in addition to being densely populated, face affordability challenges in an America struggling with persistent inflation and pay that hasn’t kept up. Particularly affected are states like New Jersey, where residents pay the country’s highest property taxes, deal with exorbitant real estate and rent prices, and increasingly see corporate headquarters leave the state, taking jobs with them. Nearby Connecticut (0.61) is facing the same challenges and also losing residents.
III. Which cities are especially popular to move to in 2025?
The cities that are leading the pack don’t venture too far off the beaten track of popular states, with 7 top cities lying within those top states.
However, it wasn’t highly populated urban hubs that drew the largest proportions of new residents. Instead, small and mid-sized cities with plenty of affordable housing and outdoor recreation emerged as big winners. So in #1 destination state South Carolina, it’s Myrtle Beach, not Charleston, topping the move list. And in Tennessee, you won’t find Nashville on the list at all, but smaller Knoxville and Chatanooga.
Top cities to move to in 2025
Here are the top cities people are moving to in 2025:
| Rank | City, State | In-to-out Move Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 2.55 |
| 2 | Huntsville, AL | 2.42 |
| 3 | Greenville, SC | 2.29 |
| 4 | Knoxville, TN | 2.23 |
| 5 | The Villages, FL | 2.15 |
| 6 | Raleigh, NC | 1.99 |
| 7 | Ocala, FL | 1.88 |
| 8 | Chattanooga, TN | 1.68 |
| 8 | Charleston, SC | 1.68 |
| 10 | Vancouver, WA | 1.63 |
Myrtle Beach #1 for drawing in way more moves in than out in 2025. It was also the #2 metro to move to in 2024 and held the top-searched move route in the country.
The usual Florida cities, The Villages and Ocala, which took top-ranking spots last year, still land in the top 10, but (at least to date) these retirement hotspots aren't as hot as they were last year. In-move interest in the Villages is down 64% so far this year over last year, while interest in Ocala has slipped 18%.
That’s not true in #3 Greenville, SC, where interest has risen 8.3% over 2024. The strong job market may be one reason why. Opportunities abound in the city in the healthcare, tech, and manufacturing industries, with companies like BMW and GE employing thousands of residents in the area.
Exit cities of 2025
| Rank | City, State | In-to-out Move Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 0.51 |
| 2 | Long Beach, CA | 0.57 |
| 3 | Memphis, TN | 0.62 |
| 4 | San Diego, CA | 0.66 |
| 5 | San Jose, CA | 0.67 |
| 6 | Spring, TX | 0.69 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | 0.72 |
| 8 | Columbus, OH | 0.73 |
| 9 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 0.74 |
| 9 | Anchorage, AK | 0.74 |
Maybe they can make it anywhere else. In the first months of 2025, New York City (0.51) has been the biggest exit city in the country, with more than twice as many searches for moves out as in.
California also struggles to retain residents in 2025, with four Golden State cities seeing large numbers of residents looking to leave. Long Beach ( 0.57), San Diego (0.66), San Jose (0.67), and San Francisco (0.72) all see many more searches for moves out than in.
Surveys show not just that Californians love living in California and applaud the state for its diversity, but Americans rank it as one of 2025's top dream states to move to. The problem is the cost of living has become exorbitantly high. The Golden State has had three consecutive years of population declines, according to U.S. Census data. The reasons for leaving different cities may differ slightly, but cost of living is a key factor here.
That doesn’t mean all affordable cities are attracting new residents. While Tennessee and Florida are winning big, their cities like Memphis, TN, and Fort Lauderdale, FL, are not. Both are seeing large numbers of searches for moves exiting their cities.
2025's Trending Moving Destinations: Southeast Boom, Budget-Friendly States, and the Rise of Mid-Sized Hubs
So far in 2025, Americans remain drawn to smaller and mid-sized cities in low-density states, particularly across the Southeast, where affordability and access to nature complement job growth.
South Carolina currently holds the top move-to spot of any states, accompanied by surging demand in neighboring Tennessee and North Carolina. But it's North Carolina that wins when it comes to pure volume.
At the city level, places like Myrtle Beach, Huntsville, and Greenville continue to capture inbound movers seeking vibrant communities without the steep housing costs and congestion of larger metropolitan hubs.
Meanwhile, densely populated, high-cost areas such as New York City and many parts of California maintain their trend as top exit locations. Even though residents appreciate the cultural richness and diversity of these areas, sky-high living expenses continue to push them toward more budget-friendly destinations offering strong job prospects.
From new retirement havens to rising mid-sized cities, the 2025 relocation landscape emphasizes quality of life, affordability, and the enduring aftershocks of the pandemic era’s shifting priorities. As movers seek a balance between work, lifestyle, and cost, these preferences will continue to reshape where Americans are putting down roots in the years ahead.
Methodology & Sources
We use moveBuddha proprietary data collected from 2020 through March 10, 2025, to analyze move trends. The data comes directly from the moveBuddha Moving Cost Calculator.
In-to-out ratio: We rely primarily on the in-to-out ratio equation in our analysis to see which cities are earning more residents by moves in than losing them via moves out: [Number of queries for moves in] ÷ [Number of queries for moves out] = [in-to-out ratio].
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