Where Americans Are Moving in 2025: Carolinas and Idaho See Biggest Growth in Out-of-State Moves
Many Americans voted with their feet last year for the best places to live, creating winners and losers among states when it comes to out-of-state growth.
In terms of population size, South Carolina, Idaho, and North Carolina saw the largest growth in 2025 from out-migration, or the number of people moving in from one state minus those moving out, according to recently released US Census data.
During that time, the states that saw the largest declines in net out-migration (meaning more people moved out than in) included New York, Hawaii, Alaska, and California.
Housing affordability may play a big role in these trends, with the Carolinas ranking high in the latest Realtor.com® state-by-state affordability survey, with states seeing the largest exodus among the nation’s least affordable.
“States that see strong growth tend to score better on affordability measures and home building activity, suggesting that a healthy balance between prices, income, and new construction attracts new residents and helps existing residents stay,” said a Realtor.com economist. Jiayi Xu.
“In contrast, states experiencing the largest net outflows — such as New York, California, and Hawaii — ranked below affordability rates, while Alaska recorded the weakest housing activity nationwide,” he adds.
Separate Census data from 2024 shows that of the 189,282 people who moved to South Carolina from another state that year, 18% came from nearby North Carolina, followed by New York (10%) and Florida (10%).
Meanwhile, Idaho drew most of its immigrants from Washington state (25%), California, (21%), and Utah (7%).
“We’re seeing buyers move from different states for different reasons,” says the Boise, ID, real estate agent. Lysi Bishopa top manufacturer in the region working on high quality buildings.
Bishop tells Realtor.com that top employment draws in the Boise area include health care, jobs related to data storage manufacturer Micron, and construction work.
“Moving motivated by life included remote workers, people willing to go to neighboring states to work, moving to be closer to family and retirees,” he said. “A significant number of California consumers cited political considerations as a motivator, while consumers across the country tended to cite a higher quality of life.”
Florida and Texas are still growing in travel, but at a slower pace
Meanwhile, Florida and Texas, the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, have continued to grow domestic immigration, but at a much slower pace.
Florida gained 22,517 new residents in net housing migration, down 93% from its peak in 2022, and the lowest annual gain since 2010, after the Great Recession.
Texas was also lower, although not as strong, with 67,299 domestic migrations last year, down 69% from 2022.
The pandemic may have pushed migration to these popular states, squeezing years of migration into a shorter window.
But in Florida in particular, the orange may be losing its luster, with rising home insurance costs discouraging some would-be residents from moving to the state.
Although Florida has made progress in reining in insurance costs through legislative changes, the state’s greater exposure to hurricanes means that many properties there will be more expensive to insure.
