What You Need to Know About Moving in 2026
Before diving into specific states and cities, here’s what’s shaping where Americans are moving right now.
- Your life stage changes everything: First-time homebuyers care most about affordability and assistance programs, families focus on schools and safety, working professionals look for strong job markets, and retirees prioritize healthcare and cost of living
- The South and Southwest are booming: States like Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina are attracting the most new residents thanks to job growth, lower taxes, and housing that costs 30-50% less than coastal cities
- Your paycheck goes further in some places: Earning $95,000 in Raleigh gives you the same buying power as making $165,000-$175,000 in San Francisco once you factor in housing costs, state taxes, and daily expenses
- People are leaving expensive states: California, New York, and Illinois are losing the most residents, mainly due to high housing costs and taxes
- No state wins at everything: You’ll need to decide what matters most to you, since no single location ranks first across all categories
The Big Six: What to Consider When Choosing Where to Move
Your ideal destination depends on how you balance these six major factors. Each one matters differently depending on your situation and priorities.
Housing Costs and Buying Your First Home
Housing is your biggest monthly expense, and home prices vary wildly from around $225,000 in West Virginia to over $750,000 in Hawaii. That difference means you’d need to earn an extra $72,000-$80,000 per year just to afford the same type of home.
The best states for first-time buyers offer low home prices, down payment assistance programs that give you $5,000-$15,000 in grants, low property taxes, and reasonable closing costs. West Virginia, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi have median home prices that are $140,000-$195,000 below the national median of around $420,000.
Some states like Pennsylvania, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky offer great assistance programs that work as forgivable loans, essentially becoming grants if you stay in the home for a certain number of years. Property taxes matter too: Alabama’s 0.36% rate will save you about $154,800 over 30 years compared to New Jersey’s 2.08% rate on a $300,000 home.
For a detailed look at the most affordable states and what kind of assistance is available, check out: Best States for First-Time Homebuyers.
To compare housing costs across all 50 states, see: States Ranked by Housing Affordability 2025.
Job Markets and Career Growth
Finding stable work and growing your income makes everything else easier qualifying for a mortgage, keeping up with payments, and eventually finding your housing costs easier to manage as your salary increases. Job markets vary dramatically, with some states seeing 8-12% employment growth while others barely grow at all.
The strongest job markets right now are in Utah, Idaho, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. These states have business-friendly policies, growing populations creating more demand, expanding tech sectors, and lots of construction activity. They’re adding jobs 2-3 times faster than the national average.
Your industry matters a lot. Texas leads in energy, engineering, and tech with major job centers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. North Carolina dominates biotech and pharmaceuticals in the Research Triangle. Florida excels in tourism, hospitality, aerospace, and healthcare management.
States with very low unemployment, like Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska staying below 3%, usually mean it’s easier to find work and you’ll have more negotiating power. States above 5% unemployment mean tougher job searches.
For complete job market rankings including growth rates, unemployment, wages, and industry strengths, visit: States Ranked By Job Market Growth.
Safety and Crime
Safety affects your daily peace of mind, property values, and insurance costs. Crime rates vary enormously: the safest states maintain violent crime rates below 120 incidents per 100,000 people, while the most dangerous exceed 700 per 100,000.
The safest states in 2025 include Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho, and Wyoming. These areas benefit from low population density and strong community policing, with violent crime rates 60-75% below the national average.
Beyond statistics, safety includes environmental factors. You must consider natural disasters, such as Midwest tornadoes, coastal hurricanes, and Western wildfires as these directly impact insurance availability and premiums.
Safety is highly localized; states often have very safe small cities but high crime in major metros. It is essential to research specific neighborhoods rather than relying solely on state-wide averages.
For detailed rankings covering crime, traffic safety, and emergency services, see: States Ranked by Safety 2025.
Schools and Raising Kids
If you have children or plan to, school quality is often non-negotiable. Education quality varies so much that students in the best states can be performing 2-3 grade levels ahead of students in the lowest-ranked states.
Top education states for 2025 are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, and Vermont. They spend more per student, have high test scores, graduation rates above 90%, excellent college prep, and plenty of AP courses. Students in these states consistently score 15-25 percentage points higher on national tests.
Don’t forget about college costs. States with strong public university systems give residents huge tuition breaks saving $60,000-$120,000 over four years compared to out-of-state or private schools. California, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas offer world-class public universities at in-state prices.
Children’s overall wellbeing includes more than just schools, it’s also about healthcare access, safety, economic stability, and community support like childcare assistance and children’s health insurance.
For education rankings including test scores, graduation rates, teacher quality, and college readiness, check out: States Ranked by Education in 2025.
For broader child wellbeing rankings covering health, safety, education, and family economic security, see: States Ranked for Children’s Well-Being in 2025.
Quality of Life and Environment
Quality of life includes everything beyond the numbers; weather, outdoor activities, cultural attractions, commute times, clean air and water, and general life satisfaction. These factors are harder to measure but hugely impact whether you’ll actually be happy living somewhere.
States ranking highest for quality of life in 2025 include Washington, Minnesota, Utah, Colorado, and Oregon. They offer clean air and water, great outdoor recreation, moderate climates, strong environmental protections, reasonable commutes, and vibrant cultural scenes with arts, dining, and entertainment.
Climate is personal, some people love year-round warmth in Florida or Arizona, others prefer four distinct seasons in the Northeast or Midwest, and some want moderate temperatures all year in California or the Pacific Northwest. Climate also affects your utility bills, with extreme heat or cold costing $150-$300 more per month than temperate areas.
Environmental concerns include air quality, water availability, pollution exposure, and climate resilience. Western states face increasing wildfire risk and drought, coastal areas deal with sea level rise and stronger hurricanes, and some industrial areas have pollution affecting health.
For quality of life rankings covering air quality, water quality, climate, outdoor access, and environmental health, see: States Ranked by Quality of Life and Environment 2025.
Where Are People Actually Moving?
Looking at where Americans are choosing to move reveals which states are successfully combining opportunity, affordability, and quality of life and which ones are struggling.
States Gaining the Most People
Right now in 2025-2026, the states attracting the most new residents are Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia. What they have in common: strong job growth, low or no state income tax, more affordable housing than coastal areas, warm weather, and growing cities that offer big-city amenities at lower costs.
Texas leads with about 230,000-250,000 new residents each year. Austin’s tech boom, Dallas-Fort Worth’s corporate headquarters, Houston’s energy and medical industries, and San Antonio’s military and tourism sectors all drive growth. Florida comes in second with over 200,000 new residents annually, attracted by zero income tax, warm climate, beaches, and retirement benefits.
North Carolina brings in 60,000-80,000 new residents yearly thanks to Research Triangle tech jobs, Charlotte’s banking sector, and a cost of living 30-40% below Northeastern cities. Tennessee gains 50,000-70,000 through Nashville’s healthcare and entertainment industries, Memphis’s logistics, and zero income tax.
To see complete migration data and understand why people are choosing these states, check out: States Ranked By People Moving To.
The 2025 Outbound Migration Trend
Despite having world-class universities and strong job markets, five states are losing residents at an historic rate: California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Losing 300k – 350k annually. Driven by 13.3% income tax and $750k+ median home prices.
Losing 200k – 250k annually. Combined taxes can hit 14.8% for high earners.
Losing 100k – 120k annually. Impacted by high property taxes and harsh winters.
Primary Drivers for Leaving:
- Housing: Coastal costs are 40 – 50% above the national average.
- Tax Burden: High state income and property tax rates.
- Daily Costs: Increased expenses for groceries, utilities, and traffic.
See the full data breakdown:
Finding the Right Place for Your Life Stage
Where you should move depends heavily on your current life stage, since priorities shift dramatically from starting your career to raising a family to planning retirement.
First-Time Movers and Young Professionals
If you’re just starting out or early in your career, you probably care most about job opportunities, social life, things to do, affordable rent, and networking, not schools or healthcare. Great cities for young professionals include Austin, Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Denver, and Charlotte. They offer strong entry-level job markets, active social scenes, reasonable costs for young people, and exciting growth.
Emerging cities are especially good for first-time movers. They combine rapid job growth, affordable neighborhoods that are getting better, easier networking since hierarchies aren’t as established, and ground-floor opportunities before markets get saturated.
If this is your first move, start with our practical planning guide: First Time Mover Checklist: Timeline, Budget & Choosing a Mover.
For strategic advice on finding up-and-coming cities before they peak, see: How to Move to an Emerging City.
Families with Children
When you have kids, priorities change completely. You need great schools, safe neighborhoods, family-friendly parks and activities, good pediatricians, and a community that supports families. Top states for families include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, Virginia, and Utah, which balance excellent schools with safe communities and resources for children.
Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Family
Suburbs and smaller cities often offer better school funding, lower crime, and larger yards than major city centers. While the tradeoff may be a longer commute, the tighter community connections are often worth the move.
For those seeking a slower pace, coastal towns offer a unique lifestyle with beach access and excellent small-town schools—ideal for remote workers or those in coastal-based industries.
Plan your family’s next move:
Retirees and Pre-Retirees
If you’re retiring or approaching retirement, your priorities shift to healthcare quality, living on a fixed income, how your state taxes retirement money, weather, activities, and being near family. The “best” retirement state depends on whether you prioritize minimizing taxes, maximizing healthcare, enjoying certain weather, or stretching your savings.
States with no income tax; Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, Texas, and Washington, don’t tax Social Security, pensions, or IRA withdrawals. This can save you $3,000-$8,000 per year compared to high-tax states. You also need to consider property taxes, estate taxes, and sales taxes.
If healthcare is your top priority, consider Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Colorado. They have exceptional hospitals, lots of doctors, great Medicare Advantage plans, and strong long-term care facilities, even if costs and taxes are higher.
Maximize Your Retirement Savings
If you need your savings to stretch, look at Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Missouri. Low housing costs, minimal property taxes, and rock-bottom living expenses mean your retirement money goes 40-60% further than in expensive coastal states.
Compare all 50 states for 2026:
How to Actually Make Your Decision
All this research needs to turn into an actual choice. Here’s how to move from information to action.
Step 1: List Your Deal-Breakers
Start with what you absolutely must have or must avoid. Maybe you need to be within two hours of aging parents. Maybe your industry only exists in certain cities. Maybe you need a specific climate for health reasons, or access to specialized medical care. Keep this list short, no more than three deal-breakers or you’ll eliminate every option.
Step 2: Rank What Matters Most
Decide which of the six main factors matters most to you. A first-time buyer might rank affordability as 40% important, job market 30%, quality of life 20%, and safety 10%. A family with young kids might rank education 35%, safety 25%, affordability 20%, healthcare 10%, with quality of life and job market getting less weight if they already work remotely.
Step 3: Narrow to 3-5 Contenders
Based on what matters most and your deal-breakers, identify 3-5 states that fit your needs using the ranking articles linked throughout this guide. Within those states, research 2-3 specific cities or metro areas using local websites, real estate data, employer research, and school district information.
Step 4: Visit in Person
Plan extended visits to your top choices; ideally 3-5 days experiencing normal life, not tourist activities. Drive the commutes during rush hour, shop at local stores, explore neighborhoods at different times of day, attend community events, and talk to locals about their experiences. Try to visit during the worst weather season so you know what you’re getting into.
Step 5: Leave Yourself an Out
Consider renting for your first year instead of buying immediately. This gives you time to explore neighborhoods, see if the job market is really what you expected, try out schools in practice, and confirm you made the right choice before you commit to buying. The flexibility is worth more than the equity you’d build in that first year if the location doesn’t work out.
Making Your Move Happen
Figuring out where to move means being honest about your priorities, doing thorough research, realistically evaluating tradeoffs, and accepting that nowhere is perfect. The best location for you balances what you need across affordability, career, family, safety, healthcare, and lifestyle.
Right now, most people are moving to Sun Belt states that combine economic opportunity with affordability. But these trends reflect what most people want, not necessarily what you should want. Expensive coastal cities still offer unmatched career opportunities in certain fields, top-tier schools, and cultural attractions worth the premium for many people. Meanwhile, affordable Midwest and Southern states provide incredible value for families, first-time buyers, and anyone prioritizing financial freedom over career maximization.
Use the state rankings linked throughout this guide to dig into the specific factors that matter most to your decision. Whether you’re focused on buying your first home, finding job growth, staying safe, accessing great schools, getting quality healthcare, or enjoying life, these rankings help you identify places that match what you actually care about. Combine the data with in-person visits, conversations with locals, and honest reflection about what you truly value day-to-day, that’s how you make a relocation decision you’ll be happy with for years to come.
