TEXAS — In 2023, Texas surpassed Florida as the leading state in net migration for the first time in a decade, a report from StorageCafe found.
The Lone Star State gained roughly 138,000 residents, averaging 32 years old, and more than a third have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Within the first year of moving to the state, approximately 37% of newcomers bought a home.
StorageCafe said that Texas’ affordable housing is a key factor driving its population growth.
Florida topped the U.S. in net migration for nine years, but in 2023, it only gained roughly 137,000 new residents, the data shows. The pandemic fueled this trend’s growth, culminating in record-breaking net arrivals of 208,000 and 238,000 in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
But post-pandemic, those figures declined, putting Florida behind Texas in net migration.
Approximately 50,000 people moved from Florida to Texas in 2023.
States like the Carolinas and Arizona are generally preferred by Gen Z, while Millennials are more drawn to Texas and Florida.
Overall, recent U.S. Census data reveals a significant decrease in residential mobility among Americans; a striking 87.9% remain in their homes annually, up from 85.1% a decade prior.
Around 7.55 million Americans relocated to another state in 2023—2.3% of the population—a small decrease from the previous year, but consistent with pre-pandemic trends.
