Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Which metro areas in the U.S. are people moving to?

Wilmington, NC (25.8 per 1,000 residents), Spartanburg, SC (23.0 per 1,000 residents) and Huntsville, AL (22.2 per 1,000 residents) drew the most people from the rest of the U.S. for their size among the U.S. metro areas in 2025.

Data as of 2025 · updated

Top 100 U.S. metro areas by net domestic migration per 1,000 residents

U.S. metro areas ranked by net domestic migration per 1,000 residents
RankMetro areaPer 1,000 residents, 2025Net movers 2025Residents
1Wilmington, NC25.8+12,719492,772
2Spartanburg, SC23.0+9,388407,656
3Huntsville, AL22.2+12,351556,444
4Port St. Lucie, FL20.3+11,532568,721
5Boise City, ID16.6+14,366864,243
6Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL15.9+11,894746,933
7North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL15.3+14,471948,158
8Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL14.3+3,298231,174
9Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR14.0+8,741622,177
10Winchester, VA-WV13.6+2,079152,332
11Warner Robins, GA13.2+2,746208,091
12Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC13.2+3,196242,966
13Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV13.0+4,089315,280
14Morristown, TN12.9+1,668128,867
15Raleigh-Cary, NC12.5+19,9741,595,720
16Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC11.8+4,447376,890
17Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC11.2+11,3751,014,101
18Charleston-North Charleston, SC11.1+9,911889,263
19Cleveland, TN11.0+1,472134,057
20Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA10.9+1,409129,692
21Johnson City, TN10.7+2,315216,416
22Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL10.1+3,167315,098
23Jacksonville, FL9.7+17,3601,785,500
24Brunswick-St. Simons, GA9.2+1,094118,524
25Knoxville, TN9.1+8,855968,137
26Bowling Green, KY8.8+1,738197,180
27Idaho Falls, ID8.6+1,501173,851
28Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA8.6+2,692314,834
29Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC8.3+24,4042,938,830
30Lynchburg, VA8.2+2,214269,169
31Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL8.1+4,414544,949
32Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN7.7+16,9672,197,416
33Sioux Falls, SD-MN7.7+2,420314,638
34Winston-Salem, NC7.7+5,477712,206
35Bend, OR7.6+2,026266,376
36Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX7.6+19,8602,620,945
37Hinesville, GA7.0+64691,870
38Springfield, MO6.9+3,466500,694
39Chattanooga, TN-GA6.7+4,010594,530
40San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX6.7+18,7632,813,140
41Columbia, SC6.6+5,818879,918
42Helena, MT6.5+63597,153
43Gulfport-Biloxi, MS6.3+2,720431,329
44Dothan, AL6.3+983156,266
45Traverse City, MI6.3+987156,972
46Reno, NV6.3+3,635578,734
47Missoula, MT6.1+788128,698
48Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA5.9+762128,414
49Joplin, MO-KS5.9+1,237208,796
50Richmond, VA5.4+7,5431,389,338
51Rocky Mount, NC5.3+793148,486
52Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH5.2+4,272826,554
53Midland, TX5.1+990193,139
54Cape Girardeau, MO-IL4.9+48499,215
55Abilene, TX4.8+887185,429
56Twin Falls, ID4.7+583123,901
57Portland-South Portland, ME4.6+2,644577,635
58Jackson, TN4.5+835184,569
59Billings, MT4.4+843193,603
60Oklahoma City, OK4.4+6,5811,512,813
61Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ4.3+22,2565,228,938
62Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT4.2+3,279773,426
63Kennewick-Richland, WA4.1+1,338324,334
64Elizabethtown, KY4.0+512128,666
65Eau Claire, WI3.9+690176,647
66Tulsa, OK3.8+4,0891,069,273
67Terre Haute, IN3.8+641169,241
68Lubbock, TX3.7+1,376368,431
69Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA3.7+2,791758,539
70Evansville, IN3.6+996273,786
71Fort Smith, AR-OK3.6+832234,140
72Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL3.4+526156,609
73Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR3.3+2,579777,607
74Savannah, GA3.3+1,451438,314
75Greensboro-High Point, NC3.1+2,537805,945
76Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA3.1+1,908608,012
77Appleton, WI3.1+769249,876
78Cedar Rapids, IA3.0+849279,285
79Jefferson City, MO2.9+449152,712
80Longview, TX2.8+843297,315
81Duluth, MN-WI2.8+779281,219
82Florence, SC2.7+539201,392
83Auburn-Opelika, AL2.7+553208,013
84Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY2.6+2,380915,835
85Macon-Bibb County, GA2.6+614238,553
86Bismarck, ND2.6+358139,750
87Canton-Massillon, OH2.5+992400,246
88Amarillo, TX2.4+673276,235
89Green Bay, WI2.4+807336,756
90Lewiston, ID-WA2.4+15465,450
91Waco, TX2.3+716308,807
92Kansas City, MO-KS2.3+5,1702,270,682
93Texarkana, TX-AR2.2+329146,816
94La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN2.2+383171,182
95Omaha, NE-IA2.2+2,2581,009,836
96Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH2.2+816365,965
97Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN2.2+4,8192,205,695
98Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA2.2+1,235574,418
99Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX2.1+18,1978,477,157
100Lake Charles, LA2.1+519244,655

How this is ranked

Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from the rest of the U.S. minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves between the area's own counties cancel out; moves from and to other countries are not included. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025). Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built.

Get the report for any U.S. county — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for any county as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Questions

Which metro area in the U.S. gains the most people from the rest of the country?

Wilmington, NC: 25.8 per 1,000 residents, ahead of Spartanburg, SC (23.0 per 1,000 residents) and Huntsville, AL (22.2 per 1,000 residents), of 236 U.S. metro areas ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from the rest of the U.S. minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves between the area's own counties cancel out; moves from and to other countries are not included. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked.

More metro rankings for the U.S.

Metro net domestic migration per 1,000 residents in other states