Go to any city in America, and it’s a good bet people will be talking about the transplants moving in.
The new ideas and businesses and cultures they bring. The rents they push up. The errors they make while ordering bagels.
In some places, like California, which struggled with population loss during the pandemic, rebounding population stats in recent years are even a source of bragging rights.
So, what does the data actually tells about who is moving where?
This week, rental company U-Haul released its midyear migration trends report, compiling the top cities and states from which movers are packing up and striking out for somewhere new. Here’s what you need to know about who’s moving to America’s largest five cities.
New York, New York
New York, the country’s largest city, drew mainly from the Northeast, with Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland making up the top five states sending new movers to the Big Apple.
Unsurprisingly, these areas contained the out-of-state cities with the most transplants heading to New York.
On this count, Philadelphia topped the list of U-Haul renters moving to New York, followed by residents of Central New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New Haven.
Los Angeles, California
A similar trend played out in Los Angeles, where recent emergencies including devastating wildfires at the beginning of the year and tense protests against federal immigration raids this summer have complicated life in a region already beset with a high cost of living.
As Governor Gavin Newsom continues his alleged soft-launch of a 2028 presidential campaign, the California Democrat felt compelled to go on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast to push back against the “California exodus myth.”
Residents of nearby states — including large, high-growth areas in the Sunbelt — still came marching in, with residents of Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and Oregon leading the way.
Las Vegas, Vegas, Seattle, Portland, and Denver, meanwhile, were the top five metros sending people across state lines to L.A. so far this year.
Chicago, Illinois
In the Midwest, this strong regionality continued for the most part, with Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, and Ohio topping the list for transplants heading to the Windy City.
Similarly, people from Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, and Dallas were most likely to move from out of state and into Chicago, according to the U-Haul data.
Houston, Texas
Houston, meanwhile, drew mostly from its Southern neighbors like Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and Oklahoma, though one can’t fail to notice California ranked number four in the list of states U-Haul customers left behind to go to Texas. (Sorry Gavin!)
As for cities, New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Baton Rouge, and Oklahoma City were most likely to be the starting point for out-of-staters heading to Houston.
Phoenix, Arizona
Last but not least, Phoenix drew residents from all around, with California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Washington state sending the most movers.
Metro areas including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Seattle rounded out the list of out-of-state cities where U-Haul renters began their journeys to Phoenix.
