{"id":135391,"date":"2024-12-04T00:01:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T08:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/?p=135391"},"modified":"2025-03-06T01:19:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T09:19:21","slug":"top-reasons-for-moving-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/top-reasons-for-moving-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Reshuffling Revisited: Why Are Americans Moving?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background-color: #edf1f5; padding: 20px; border-radius: 5px;\">\n<ul style=\"margin: 0; line-height: 1.6;\">\n<li>A little more than 24 million Americans moved last year \u2014 the lowest number in the last 25 years.<\/li>\n<li>A new or improved home remains the number one reason why people relocate. Chicago is the top destination, followed by New York, Los Angeles and Boston.<\/li>\n<li>Affordable housing is also a top motivator, accounting for 10% of all moves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>In an era of remote work, Americans are surprisingly still moving for jobs, but there\u2019s a twist: <strong>New data reveals that job-related relocations and better housing are the two most powerful motivators.<\/strong> While remote work promised to untether Americans from office locations, the share of those who relocated for a new job or a transfer last year exceeded 13%. Even more telling, the pursuit of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/\">better homes<\/a> represented 15% of all moves, along with the search for more affordable housing, which drove 10% of relocations. Instead of compromising more, Americans are now strategically relocating to balance career opportunities with quality of life and housing costs.<\/p>\n<p><em>To better understand why people move, we looked at IPUMS CPS data for 107 metro areas. Our analysis shows the share of people who changed homes for specific* reasons grouped into three main categories: housing, job and lifestyle.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-number-ticker\" data-src=\"visualisation\/19973658\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/19973658\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"number-ticker visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><em>&#8220;Restless mobility in search of opportunity is an American hallmark,&#8221;<\/em> read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/20\/us\/american-workers-moving-states-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an article in <em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a> prior to the pandemic. Although fewer people relocate now compared to previous decades, a significant number of Americans are still moving. For example, last year, <strong>more than 24 million people chose to relocate<\/strong>. Notably, more than half of those who moved last year (13 million) packed up for better housing, while another 5 million chased job opportunities. These numbers reveal how housing and career choices continue to reshape America&#8217;s cities.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><strong>In fact, housing and jobs consistently stand out as the primary reasons Americans choose to relocate.<\/strong> <strong>Specifically, about 15% of movers were seeking a better home, closely followed by 13% who moved for a new job.<\/strong> This trend reveals an intriguing paradox of the remote work era: Despite the widespread adoption of work-from-home policies, job-related relocations remain strong. It suggests that workers are leveraging the flexibility of remote work to seize career opportunities across broader geographic areas. This trend aligns with the post-2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/carolinecastrillon\/2023\/09\/03\/why-job-hopping-is-going-to-continue-for-the-foreseeable-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">job-hopping phenomenon<\/a>, in which nearly one in five workers stayed in their role for a year or less by 2022. Plus, an easier commute drove more than 5% of all moves last year, which reinforces the paradox.<\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-plbWZ\" style=\"min-height: 649px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/plbWZ\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-plbWZ\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/plbWZ\/full.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Next, third place is occupied by those who move to establish their own household with 10.3% of all movers in 2023. While moving out and living on one\u2019s own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/multigenerational-households\/\">seems to be less appealing or achievable<\/a> compared to pre-pandemic times, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/nearly-17-million-americans-renting-alone-salt-lake-city-saw-highest-surge\/\">solo renters<\/a> are the fastest-rising renting group. Then, cheaper housing comes in as the fourth most popular reason for relocating with a share of nearly 10%. This is far from unexpected in the context of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/real-estate\/case-shiller\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record-high home prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Speaking of home prices, <strong>more than 7% of Americans who moved last year did so to achieve homeowner status, highlighting that relocating to afford a house remains a common trend.<\/strong> Similarly, nearly 6% of movers sought a better neighborhood \u2014 often the first step toward improving their overall quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>Although lifestyle-related reasons account for fewer moves, they remain significant. Namely, health concerns drove 1.8% of relocations nationwide, retirement accounted for 1.4%, and change of climate motivated less than 1%. <strong>This translates to millions of Americans seeking an improved quality of life, especially during their golden years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Top metros for better housing are in the Midwest<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/us-hottest-rental-markets\/\">The Midwest is gaining traction<\/a> as a region offering a great mix of affordable living and quality housing. This is reflected in the shares of Americans who choose Midwestern metros as their destination when relocating for new or better housing. As a result, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/chicago-il\/\">Chicago<\/a> boasts the highest share of people who moved for new or better housing \u2014 27.2%<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/akron-oh\/\">Akron, OH<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/kansas-city-mo\/\">Kansas City, MO<\/a>, are second and third with 25.9% and 22.3%, respectively. Such moves were also enabled by remote work, which allowed Americans to move to less expensive locations without changing their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>That said, major hubs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/new-york-city-ny\/\">New York<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/los-angeles-ca\/\">Los Angeles<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/boston-ma\/\">Boston<\/a> are also in the top 10 with high percentages of people who relocated here for new or better housing. This makes sense given that all three fall in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/new-apartment-construction\/\">top 20 metros with the highest numbers of new apartments to open in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-2aS8S\" style=\"min-height: 563px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2aS8S\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-2aS8S\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2aS8S\/full.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p>In particular, Northeastern locations seem to be popular destinations for those looking to establish their own household. For instance, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/albany-ny\/\">Albany, NY<\/a>, has the nation\u2019s highest share of Americans who decided to set out on their own (25.6%)<\/strong>, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/buffalo-ny\/\">Buffalo, NY<\/a>, is fourth with 19.7%. Both locations stand out with solid shares of young residents and a median age that&#8217;s below <a href=\"https:\/\/censusreporter.org\/profiles\/01000US-united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the national average<\/a> but Albany leads with the youngest movers: In the capital of New York, the median age is 32, whereas the national median mover age is 39.<\/p>\n<p>Over on the West Coast, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/ca\/\">California<\/a> metros are among the top locations for Americans searching for cheaper housing<\/strong>. For example, 22% of all those who relocated to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/modesto-ca\/\">Modesto, CA<\/a>, in 2022 did so for the metro area&#8217;s more affordable homes. Next is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/stockton-ca\/\">Stockton, CA<\/a>, with 19.2%, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/fresno-ca\/\">Fresno, CA<\/a>, is sixth with a share of 16.7%. Notably, all of these California destinations have significantly lower <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/cost-of-living-calculator\/us\/ca\/fresno\/\">housing costs<\/a> compared to the state average. Meanwhile, Southern locations \u2014 like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/mcallen-tx\/\">McAllen, TX<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/memphis-tn\/\">Memphis, TN<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/myrtle-beach-sc\/\">Myrtle Beach, SC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/deltona-fl\/\">Deltona, FL<\/a> \u2014 are also among the top metros where Americans moved to find cheaper homes.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of the South, the highest percentages of Americans who moved to own, rather than rent, are also found in metro areas in the region. Case in point: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/greensboro-nc\/\">Greensboro, NC<\/a>, tops the list with one-third of all who moved here in 2022 transitioning from renting to owning.<\/strong> In second place is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/lakeland-fl\/\">Lakeland, FL<\/a>, with 21.1%. Likewise, Southern metros <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/winston-salem-nc\/\">Winston-Salem, NC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/durham-nc\/\">Durham, NC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/lexington-ky\/\">Lexington, KY<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/knoxville-tn\/\">Knoxville, TN<\/a>; are also in the top 10. Most of these places own the magic formula for attracting renters \u2014 affordable housing, job opportunities and economic growth, along with plenty of leisure amenities.<\/p>\n<p>Back on the East Coast, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/scranton-pa\/\">Scranton, PA<\/a>, is the leading metro area for Americans who moved for a better neighborhood.<\/strong> Close to 40% of all those who relocated here did it for a more convenient district. Zooming in, Scranton scores big with renters due to its numerous parks and overall comfortable living environment. Second on the list is Buffalo, NY, with 27.8% of all movers, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/grand-rapids-mi\/\">Grand Rapids, MI<\/a>, takes the bronze medal with a similar share.<\/p>\n<h2>Where are Americans moving for new jobs? The Southeast<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The highest shares of movers who relocated for a new job or job transfer are in Southeastern metro areas.<\/strong> More precisely, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/augusta-ga\/\">Augusta, GA<\/a>, tops the list with one-third of new residents coming for new jobs. Next is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/fayetteville-nc\/\">Fayetteville, NC<\/a>, with nearly one-fifth of all those who moved here in 2022 motivated by a new professional start. As such, job opportunities seem to be pouring into this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/us-hottest-rental-markets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">renter hotspot<\/a> (second in the nation for rental competitiveness), where <a href=\"https:\/\/abc11.com\/post\/amazon-add-1000-jobs-new-fayetteville-facility\/14904096\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tech giant Amazon<\/a> plans to fill about 1,000 positions at one of its newest facilities. Third is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/columbia-sc\/\">Columbia, SC<\/a>, which saw a similar share of 18.4%, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/huntsville-al\/\">Huntsville, AL<\/a>, recorded an 18.2% share for fourth place. Clearly, the Carolinas are also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/state-to-state-moving-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top destinations for young Americans<\/a> as nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/charlestondaily.net\/young-professionals-are-flocking-to-south-carolina-in-latest-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one-third of those relocating to South Carolina are Millennials<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Also on the list are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/washington-dc\/\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/pittsburgh-pa\/\">Pittsburgh<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/charleston-sc\/\">Charleston, SC<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/baltimore-city-md\/\">Baltimore<\/a>. Of course, the nation&#8217;s capital is a magnet for graduates looking for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/washington-dc\/2024\/05\/13\/jobs-hotspot-government-tech\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">government jobs<\/a>, particularly in the tech sector.<\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-R75SM\" style=\"min-height: 533px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/R75SM\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-R75SM\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/R75SM\/full.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p>Metros in the Southeast are also go-to places for those looking for work or those who lost a job. At the top of the list is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/jackson-ms\/\">Jackson, MS<\/a>, with nearly 15% of those who came in 2022 doing so for job opportunities. Next are Lexington, KY; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/greensboro-nc\/\">Greensboro, NC<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/little-rock-ar\/\">Little Rock, AR<\/a>; but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/sc\/\">South Carolina<\/a>\u2019s Myrtle Beach, Charleston and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/greenville-sc\/\">Greenville<\/a> are also in the top 10. So is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/orlando-fl\/\">Orlando, FL<\/a>, at #9 with a share of 8%. It&#8217;s worth noting here that South Carolina stands out due to its expanding tech and manufacturing industries, which create hundreds of job opportunities. As an example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wccbcharlotte.com\/2024\/08\/30\/meta-to-build-data-center-in-south-carolina-bringing-100-new-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meta<\/a> is planning a new data center in the state and already announced the ensuing 100 jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Another popular state for movers is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/fl\/\">Florida<\/a>, and its metros have some of the largest shares of people looking for an easier commute.<strong> Here, Deltona and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/fort-myers-fl\/\">Fort Myers<\/a> are first and second on our list of the top 10 metros with the highest shares of movers aiming to get around faster and with less of an effort.<\/strong> On the opposite coast, four California metros are also popular among movers for the same reason, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/santa-rosa-ca\/\">Santa Rosa<\/a> at #3, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/bakersfield-ca\/\">Bakersfield<\/a> at #6, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/san-francisco-ca\/\">San Francisco<\/a> at #9 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/fresno-ca\/\">Fresno<\/a> rounding out the top 10.<\/p>\n<h2>There\u2019s no better living than Southern living<\/h2>\n<p><strong>When it comes to metro areas attracting the most residents looking for a better lifestyle, locations in the Southeast take the lead.<\/strong> In particular, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/pensacola-fl\/\">Pensacola, FL<\/a>, saw the largest share of Americans who moved due to health reasons at 13.9%. It was followed by Charleston, SC; Fayetteville, NC; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/jacksonville-fl\/\">Jacksonville, FL<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/austin-tx\/\">Austin, TX<\/a>; and Lakeland, FL. In fact, the only metro area in the top 10 that&#8217;s not in the South is the strategically located Stockton in sunny California. So, what do all of these places have in common? Sunny skies, strong job markets or proximity to job hubs, and a more affordable cost of living compared to major coastal hubs, as well as modern and expanding health-care facilities. All of these contribute to a better quality of life and peace of mind.<\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-X4YwZ\" style=\"min-height: 538px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/X4YwZ\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-X4YwZ\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/X4YwZ\/full.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019re thinking that only the coasts of Florida are popular for retirees, think again: <strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/massachusetts\/worcester\/worcester-springfield-ranked-among-best-places-retire-u-s-news\">leading metro area for Americans moving due to retirement<\/a> is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/worcester-ma\/\">Worcester, MA<\/a>, with a share of nearly 10%. Its strong point seems to be the easy access to good quality health-care services.<\/strong> Next is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/provo-ut\/\">Provo, UT<\/a> \u2014 8.9% of all those who relocated here chose this metro area for their post-grind living. Granted, as expected, there are four Florida metro areas on the list \u2014 Orlando, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/palm-bay-fl\/\">Palm Bay<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/tampa-fl\/\">Tampa<\/a> and Lakeland.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, when it comes to the metro areas with the largest shares of movers relocating due to the weather, half (but not all) are Southern destinations. The top metro is a sunny location on the West Coast \u2014 Santa Rosa, CA \u2014 followed by Knoxville, TN; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/new-haven-ct\/\">New Haven, CT<\/a>, which experiences all four seasons. Larger hubs \u2014 like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/san-diego-ca\/\">San Diego<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/apartments-for-rent\/dallas-tx\/\">Dallas<\/a> \u2014 also attract Americans looking for more sunshine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Browse our complete chart to find your metro:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"min-height:926px\" id=\"datawrapper-vis-sOCja\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/sOCja\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-sOCja\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/sOCja\/full.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<h2>Methodology<\/h2>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/\">RentCafe.com<\/a> is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the U.S.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>To compile this report, RentCafe.com\u2019s research team analyzed <a href=\"https:\/\/cps.ipums.org\/cps\/\">IPUMS CPS<\/a> data for the largest 107 metropolitan areas in the nation \u2014 locations with a population equal to or greater than 500,000 people. IPUMS stands for Integrated Public Use Microdata Series and provides census and survey data from around the world, integrated across time and space. IPUMS is part of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation at the University of Minnesota.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>*To get a clearer picture of the top reasons why people move, we only considered specific reasons for moving, and disregarded non-specific responses. In total, we worked with 11 specific reasons for moving, which we divided into three categories: Five were housing-related, three were job-related and three more were lifestyle-related.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>For the local sections focusing on metropolitan areas, the most recent and comprehensive data sets available were from 2022. Additionally, for accuracy and comprehensiveness, we used the five-year averages to estimate 2022 values.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>IPUMS USA<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles, J. Robert Warren, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Megan Schouweiler and Michael Westberry. IPUMS CPS: Version 11.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18128\/D030.V11.0\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18128\/D030.V11.0\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Fair use and redistribution<\/h3>\n<p>We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the research, graphics, and images presented in this article. When doing so, we ask that you credit our research by linking to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/\">RentCafe.com<\/a>\u00a0or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology. For more in-depth, customized data, please contact us at <a href=\"mailto:media@rentcafe.com\">media@rentcafe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A little more than 24 million Americans moved last year \u2014 the lowest number in the last 25 years. A new or improved home remains the number one reason why people relocate. Chicago is the top destination, followed by New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Affordable housing is also a top motivator, accounting for 10%&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":738,"featured_media":135393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3661],"tags":[38817],"class_list":["post-135391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-market-snapshots","tag-nosidebar","gallery-content-unit"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Are Americans Moving?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than 24 million Americans moved last year. Find out the reasons that drove people to pack up and the metro areas that they chose.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rentcafe.com\/blog\/rental-market\/market-snapshots\/top-reasons-for-moving-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Great Reshuffling Revisited: Why Are Americans Moving?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than 24 million Americans moved last year. 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