The top 10 states people are flocking to
- Moving out of a city isn't new, but people are going more rural, a study found.
- Midwestern and southern states with smaller populations are attracting more residents.
- Some are choosing these states because they're less crowded.
Urban to suburban migration was a common theme during the pandemic, as remote-friendly opportunities opened up a new market for workers to stretch their legs.
Now, people are going even farther outside of the suburbs, particularly to rural states like Idaho and Montana, a new report says.
Smaller states mostly in the South and Midwest are experiencing higher net migration rates per 1,000 residents, according to a report by StorageCafe analyzing data from its sister division Yardi Matrix, as well as US Census data.
All 10 states on the list have populations under 8 million, according to Census estimates for 2022.
This recent crop of movers are motivated by factors outside of home prices and proximity to work — like lifestyle, Doug Ressler, the business intelligence manager at Yardi Matrix, told Insider.
"Montana, Idaho, and Vermont, you can see that in terms of lifestyle really lends itself — it's picturesque," he said. "And you don't have the larger cores and you don't have commute times."
The Sunbelt has dominated in attracting new residents, but those looking for wide-open spaces are also eyeing more northern states like Montana, Vermont, and Idaho — all places with populations below 2 million.
"People don't want to just exist in a place where they live, like an apartment or a home," Ressler said. "They really want more lifestyle advantages, leisure types of things like trails and hiking. That is really driving a lot of what we see in a lot of these less dense areas around the states."
Here are the 10 states that are leading the rankings in net migration, according to StorageCafe.
Lawton, Oklahoma. Gary Kemp Photography/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 9.63
Average household income: $80,792
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Median home value: $167,039
Average rent: $979
Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee. UCG/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 9.91
Average household income: $89,538
Unemployment rate: 3.2%
Median home value: $232,630
Average rent: $1,482
Maah Daah Heytrail, North Dakota. Paul Schmidt/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 12.32
Average household income: $95,130
Unemployment rate: 2.0%
Median home value: $219,939
Average rent: $1,044
Grand Canyon, Arizona Whit Richardson/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 12.49
Average household income: $99,518
Unemployment rate: 3.5%
Median home value: $330,065
Average rent: $1,611
Lake Tahoe, Nevada. vernonwiley/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 14.46
Average household income: $96,977
Unemployment rate: 5.4%
Median home value: $371,642
Average rent: $1,512
Acadia Peninsula, Maine. Michael Ver Sprill/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 15.07
Average household income: $98,701
Unemployment rate: 2.4%
Median home value: $251,469
Average rent: $1,852
Folly Beach, South Carolina. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 15.09
Average household income: $85,682
Unemployment rate: 3.1%
Median home value: $208,903
Average rent: $1,567
Flathead River, Montana. Lee Cohen/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 17.91
Average household income: $94,510
Unemployment rate: 2.4%
Median home value: $319,228
Average rent: $1,578
Sugarbush Ski Resort, Vermont. capecodphoto/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 23.99
Average household income: $99,485
Unemployment rate: 1.9%
Median home value: $270,708
Average rent: $1,903
Silver Creek, Idaho. Karl Weatherly/Getty Images
Net migration per 1,000 residents: 24.54
Average household income: $96,736
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Median home value: $366,120
Average rent: $1,595