Top 10 Cities People are Moving To (and Move Away From)
Originally Published by: Builder — May 22, 2025
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The Southeast is dominating the top 10 cities people are moving to this year with South Carolina and North Carolina shining extra bright. According to PODS Fifth Annual Moving Trends Report, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Wilmington, North Carolina, claimed first for a second year in a row along with Ocala, Florida, claiming second place again.
Raleigh, North Carolina, jumped three spots from No. 6 to No. 3 in 2025 followed by Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, at No. 4. New to the rankings is Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, at No. 5 with its strong job market and mild winters.
"Our fifth annual Moving Trends Report underscores the major trends that have shaped Americans' moving patterns and preferences over the past few years—an assumed desire for warmer climates, lower costs of living, and a greater focus on balance and quality of life," says Rich Schwartz, senior vice president of corporate operations at PODS. "While the Southeast continues to dominate the top of the list, we are seeing areas across the south, like Dallas-Fort Worth, making big moves."
Top 10 cities with the highest number of move-ins includes:
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Wilmington, North Carolina (1st in 2024)
- Ocala, Florida (2nd in 2024)
- Raleigh, North Carolina (6th in 2024)
- Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina (4th in 2024)
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (unranked in 2024)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (5th in 2024)
- Boise, Idaho (11th in 2024)
- Knoxville, Tennessee (8th in 2024)
- Nashville, Tennessee (13th in 2024)
- Jacksonville, Florida (9th in 2024)
In contrast, California took three of the top 10 most moved from cities. "The Northeast and West Coast continue to see a steady increase in people moving out likely due to high costs of living, overcrowding, and spiking insurance premiums, among other factors," says Schwartz. "As economic uncertainty persists and the housing market remains tight, we anticipate a continued migration toward more affordable and emerging markets throughout the country."
The top four areas with the most move-outs, along with those at numbers six and seven, remain unchanged from 2024, PODS found.
Top 10 cities with the highest number of move-outs includes:
- Los Angeles, California (1st in 2024)
- Northern California (San Francisco area) (2nd in 2024)
- South Florida (Miami area) (3rd in 2024)
- Long Island, New York (Serving parts of NYC) (4th in 2024)
- San Diego, California (8th in 2024)
- Central Jersey, New Jersey (6th in 2024)
- Chicago, Illinois (7th in 2024)
- Boston, Massachusetts (13th in 2024)
- Hudson Valley, New York (10th in 2024)
- Denver, Colorado (12th in 2024)
The number one reason for moves was to be closer to family and friends (26%) followed by job relocation (18%), retirement (17%), and better quality of life (16%). The data in the Moving Trends Report studies net long-distance moves and found that this year, the average distance moved by long-distance PODS customers from January 2024 to March 2025 was nearly 1,300 miles and almost 92% of long-distance moves were out-of-state, which is nearly identical to the previous year's percentage.