The 2023-2024 HireAHelper Moving Migration Report
Despite a rise in moving in 2022, Americans have reinstated a decade-long trend of staying put; 2023 saw the fewest amount of moves nationwide since the U.S government began tracking the data back in the 1940s.
But why? The reasons for 2023’s moving patterns are all in the little details.
First, the obvious: people were priced out of relocation at every turn. Home affordability hit an historic low last August while at the same time, mortgage interest rates jumped to their highest levels since 2022. Meanwhile, under the backdrop of student loan repayments resuming, household debt reached another historic high. In addition, inflation outpaced worker wages for the better part of the year, and the nationwide average rent cost was over $2,000 per month.
"…the 25.6 million Americans who moved in 2023 constitutes 7.8% of the population, which is the lowest percentage of relocaters ever recorded."
Secondly, the data from the 25.6 million Americans who did move tell their own story: rural states, family, and education all rose in significance in 2023, a year where Americans were grappling with countless economic pressures.
To gain a better understanding of all this, the 2023-24 HireAHelper Migration Report combines data from over 75,000 moves booked via HireAHelper.com, insights from our yearly customer survey, and all the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, revealing how, where and why Americans were moving in 2023.
The Top 10 States and Cities of 2023
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Oklahoma, Florida Top 2023 State Rankings
By ratio, Oklahoma was the big winner in 2023.
Oklahoma saw the most people move in than out of it since 2021; Oklahoma’s net gain of people moving there (+40%) was higher than any other state!
("Net gain" is calculated as the total number people moving into a state minus the total number leaving a state, expressed as a percentage.)
Just behind Oklahoma in net gains this year were South Carolina (+35%) and Tennessee (+35%). These two states frequently land in the top 10 in our previous reports, yet rarely have they reached this close to the top!
Volume
By volume, Florida was the big winner for another year in a row. (By comparison to net gains, Florida was a still impressive 10th place, with about 11% more people moving to the Sunshine State last year versus leaving it.)
Texas and California round out the top 3 destinations by volume.
Biggest net loss states
So when you do all the math, how did the bottom states shake out?
Despite being a top three destination by volume, California was the state with the largest net losses in residents during 2023 (-44%), followed by New Jersey (-42%), and Louisiana (-31%).
Other notable 2023 net losers include other East Coast states typically associated with a high cost of living: New York (-14%), Maryland (-15%), and Connecticut (-15%).
Wesley Chapel, FL, Chicago Are the Top Cities of 2023
Impressively, for the previous two years running, the U.S. city that had the largest net gains had been The Villages, FL. This year however, we finally have a new champion … though 2023’s top city still remained in Florida!
In 2023, Wesley Chapel, FL (+106%) had the greatest net-gain of any city in the country.
Right behind it was another city in Florida, Ocala, FL (+104%). Saint Augustine, FL (+58%) also made the top 10. (The Villages did maintain a healthy net gain ratio of +42%, but it was only enough to put it into 14th place on our list this year.)
These findings mesh with the fact that cities in Florida are among those with the greatest population growth in the country; not to mention, retirement moves were up 44% year-over-year in 2023.
The top 10 net gain cities for 2023 also featured two cities in South Carolina: Summerville, SC (+96%) and Myrtle Beach, SC (+85%), as well as two places from Texas: New Braunfels, TX (+93%) and Frisco, TX (+87%).
Conversely, the city with the largest net loss in people was Baton Rouge, LA, as 63% more people left the city in 2023 versus moved in.
"In 2023, Oklahoma’s net gain of people moving there (+40%) was higher than any other state!"
Volume
By sheer number of people, Chicago, IL was the number one most moved to city in 2023. (It also lost a lot of residents, which is why it doesn’t make this year’s top net gain cities!)
Right behind Chicago for most people moving in during 2023 were Denver, CO, Austin, TX, and Las Vegas, NV.
Why Are People Moving? The Top Reasons for Moving in 2023
According to the latest U.S. Census Data, by far the reason for moving with the biggest year-over-year growth was retirement! About 44% more Americans moved to retire in 2023, compared to the year before.
It’s worth noting that moves for retirement aren’t always implying a move into a retirement community; many retirees reported moving closer to — or with — their families. According to a study by HireAHelper, 9% of people in the so-called "sandwich generation" (i.e., people "sandwiched" between taking care of their kids and their aging parents) reported that parents aged 65 years or older moved in with them sometime during 2023.
Other top reasons for moving
"Moving for a new job" is the second highest reported reason for moving (23%) by the U.S. Census, with over half a million more Americans moving for work in 2023 compared to last year.
"A strong majority (71%) of HireAHelper customers who moved in 2023 are happier with their living situation."
Reinforcing the decline in housing affordability, around 10% more Americans moved in search of more affordable living arrangements this year. compared to 2022.
Similarly, moves by those who "Wanted to own a home, not rent" are down 27% this year. Other housing-related reasons for moving, such as "To establish own household" (-21%), and "Wanted new or better housing" (-13%) are also down this year.
Insights From HireAHelper’s 2023 Customer Survey
Within the Census Bureau data, housing and new jobs dominated relocation reasoning. Yet, in our yearly survey of thousands of HireAHelper and Porch customers, the top reasons for moving were, once again, family-dominated.
"Moving in with family" and "Being closer to family" were the stated reasons for roughly 30% of survey respondents this year. "Buying a new home" (18%) and "Getting a new job" (14%), were the second and third most common reason for moving in 2023, respectively.
Not shockingly, reasons related to saving money, such as "Lower cost of living" (10%), "Cheaper rent" (4%), and "Inflation" (1%) factored into a total of 15% of moves.
Other notable reasons for moving
As many as 13% of people moved partly because they "Wanted nicer weather" (8%), or because they were concerned about (or were forced to move by) "Climate change" (5%).
Moving for "Political reasons" remains relatively rare, as only 4% of our customers noted politics as a driving reason behind their move.
Did moving make people happier?
A strong majority (71%) of HireAHelper customers who moved in 2023 are happier with their living situation. Those who said they were happier cited better housing, being with or closer to family, and better weather as key to their successful move.
Interestingly enough, those who moved for "Nicer weather" were the happiest of anybody (77%), even ahead of those who relocated to an area with a "Lower cost of living" (75%), or those who "Bought a new home" (73%).
By comparison, only a bit over half (58%) of those who moved for "Family reasons" had similar rates of satisfaction with their lives, post-move.
Other top reasons for moving
People who chose to move versus people who were forced to move also reported different factors for their moves; those moving out of a preference were more likely to say they moved due to "Retirement," "Nicer weather," and somewhat surprisingly, "Climate change".
Moves made out of necessity, however, were attributed to "Getting a new job," "More affordable rent," or "Lower cost of living."
Additional Insights: Fewer Than 8% of Americans Moved in 2023, the Lowest in Recorded History
After last year’s unexpected increase in the number of moves, 2023 marks the return to the trend that’s been going on for decades – the decline of moving in America.
According to U.S. Census data, the total number of Americans who moved in 2023 was 25.6 million. While that seems high (and it is!), that’s still a whopping 9% fewer than the total number of people who moved in 2022.
In other words, the 25.6 million Americans who moved in 2023 constitutes 7.8% of the population, which is the lowest percentage of relocaters ever recorded; it’s a smaller percentage of people than even the very first U.S. Census figure ever recorded back in 1948!
While many causes are at play here, aforementioned housing affordability and workplace trends remain the most likely culprits for Americans remaining in place.
Moves Are Cheaper, Shorter and Smaller in 2023
As more Americans are opting to stay put, shorter and cheaper moves are becoming more prominent.
Move distances down
Based on the U.S. census figures, 18% of moves in 2023 crossed state lines, which is the highest share we’ve seen since the early 2000s. Similarly, local moves may appear to be less common, as only 54% of all those who moved in 2023 stayed within the same county. (This trend started a few years ago and accelerated after COVID, as moves like this accounted for 65%-70% of all moves going back to 2015.)
However, despite national trends showing a rise in people moving to a different state or county as measured by address, our records indicate an overall reduction in the average distance traveled per move, as measured by miles between origin and destination.
The average distance of a move booked via HireAHelper in 2023 is just 32 miles per move, down a substantial 71 fewer miles on average from the year before!
Coupled with coastal states losing so many residents, you could reasonably interpret this as job- and economic-related, as moving to a new state often carries with it a new set of tax and economic realities, after all!
Average moving costs down in 2023
2022 will go down as the year when the cost of moving soared to never before seen heights. By comparison, 2023 is a bit of a cool-off period.
The national average for a move peaked at $420 in July before settling at $407 by the end of the year, about 1% cheaper than in 2022.
Split up by state, New Hampshire ($557), New Mexico ($536) and Alabama ($532) saw the highest moving cost averages in 2023. Alternatively, moving was cheapest in the District of Columbia ($328), Nevada ($330) and Texas ($341).
Sources and Methodology
HireAHelper's 2023-24 Migration Study analyzed over 75,000 local and long-distance moves in the U.S. that were booked in 2023 through HireAHelper.com and its partner sites and affiliates, including SimpleMovingLabor and MovingPlace.
Other sources used in the study are:
- Migration/Geographic Mobility Data series by the U.S. Census Bureau
- U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and its Annual Social and Economic Supplements, as available via IPUMS
- HireAHelper customer survey carried out in November 2023 (2,197 respondents)
- Six states (Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) were excluded in part, due to a lack of sufficiently representative data.
Net gains and losses in people moving in/out for both states and cities were calculated as the ratio of
- # of people moving into the state or city, to
- the # of people moving out of the state or city,
- expressed as a percentage (%)
Comparisons of net gains and losses only include states with at least 100 in- or out-moves and cities with at least 50 in- or out-moves.
Illustrations by Esther Wu
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