Gen Z Moves to Big Cities While Others Move Out: Find Out Where Gen Z Is Moving in Our 2024 Report
Choosing where to live is a defining moment for many young adults that shapes the rest of their lives. While Gen Z is flocking across state lines to bustling cities like New York and Los Angeles, older generations are seeking out warmer climates and smaller towns.
As these transitions take place, a constant is the importance of finding the best long-distance moving company. What shifts are Americans’ priorities over time. Each generation navigates changes in job opportunities, housing costs, and their social lives as its members age.
In this study, the This Old House Reviews Team explores migration trends across different generations. Our analysis draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to provide insights into these evolving patterns.
Read on to find out where generations—from Gen Z to baby boomers—are moving and how their choices are impacting your state.
Key Findings
- New York City is the top destination for Gen Z, with a net gain of 30,984, but millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers are all leaving.
- Houston is rising as a Gen Z hotspot, going from a net gain of 15,269 in 2022 to a net gain of 22,868 in 2023.
- Millennials are headed south, and their number one destination is Jacksonville, Florida (just like baby boomers).
- Florida and Texas are the two most popular states for each generation to move to.
Gen Z flocks to New York While Other Generations Skip Town
As more Gen Z members enter the housing market, destinations like New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, and Chicago are rising to the forefront for people making a move. New York City remains a top choice, with a net gain of 30,984 Gen Z residents in the past year. Although this reflects a slowdown from 2022’s net increase of 44,361, the city continues to attract young adults eager to experience the city’s one-of-a-kind reputation.
Houston has risen to the third position among Gen Z’s preferred cities, gaining 22,868 residents from this generation. This is a significant jump from 2022, when Houston added just 15,269 Gen Z residents and was ranked 11th—one of the biggest changes in net migration for Gen Z. Unlike New York and Los Angeles, which are attracting Gen Z but losing older generations, Houston is also a top destination for millennials and Gen X.
Houston was spared the fate of several southern and midwestern cities experiencing a decline in Gen Z populations. El Paso, Texas, has lost the most residents from this generation, with a drop of 5,607, a sharp turn from 2022 when the city saw an increase. Other cities, including Plano, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; McKinney, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas, are seeing similar declines.
Some of Gen Z’s favorite cities mirror the choices of millennials at the same age. In 2013, New York and Los Angeles were the top two destinations for millennials. However, they leaned more toward Boston and Austin, skipping Philadelphia and Chicago. Both generations had Charlotte and Houston on their lists of preferred cities.
Millennials Head South
Millennials are leaving large, colder cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago in significant numbers and heading to warmer climates. The top pick for millennials is Jacksonville, Florida, reminiscent of migration patterns seen in their parents’ generation. Millennials are also choosing the finance hub of San Diego and southern cities like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Houston.
Jacksonville leads the way for millennials, with a net gain of 7,717 residents. Following closely is San Diego with 6,165 newcomers, Charlotte with 5,965, Houston with 5,301, and Phoenix with 5,030.
In stark contrast, millennials are departing from New York City at a rate of -13,667, as well as Chicago (-8,580), Boston (-8,312), Denver (-6,961), and Jersey City (-6,517). This marks a significant decline in cities like New York and Boston, which were once dominant among millennials. In 2013, when millennials were about the age of Gen Z, New York and Boston ranked as the No. 1 and No. 3 destinations, netting 28,265 and 16,393 millennials, respectively.
Older Generations Leave the Cities
Gen X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation are also moving away from major cities, particularly New York City and Washington, D.C. They’re heading to some of the same cities as Gen Z, including Houston and Jacksonville, Florida.
Houston is the top destination for Gen X, attracting 6,312 residents from this generation. Baby boomers are opting for Jacksonville, with a net gain of 1,676. The Silent Generation shows a preference for Mesa, Arizona, which gained 1,023 residents of this generation.
While Gen X and baby boomers are looking to leave large cities, especially New York City, the Silent Generation is making a surprising move in the opposite direction. New York City ranks as the second most popular city for the Silent Generation, bringing in 666 newcomers.
2023 State Migration Trends
Florida and Texas are the most popular states to move to across generations. Texas ranks first for both Gen Z, with a net gain of 91,012, and millennials, with 117,004 new residents. Florida follows closely behind, attracting 84,812 Gen Z and 107,771 millennials.
Florida takes the lead for Gen X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation, with gains of 65,901, 74,275, and 17,637, respectively. Texas serves as the second choice for these generations, adding 54,312 Gen X, 25,436 baby boomers, and 13,120 Silent Generation residents.
New York is losing residents across multiple generations. Millennials are leaving at a rate of 11,263 residents a year, followed by baby boomers at 14,438, Gen X at 6,672, and the Silent Generation at 4,855. Despite this trend, New York gained 46,571 Gen Z residents.
Gen Z is leaving New Jersey, with a loss of 19,342 Gen Z residents. States like Maryland, Louisiana, and Kansas are also taking major hits to their Gen Z populations.
Full Data
Methodology
We analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates for 2013, 2022, and 2023 and calculated net migration figures by generation across 166 major U.S. cities and all 50 states.
Generations were mapped to the following age ranges for 2022 and 2023 migration figures:
- Gen Z: Ages 18–29
- Millennial: Ages 30–44
- Gen X: Ages 45–60
- Baby boomers: Ages 60–75
- Silent Generation: Ages 75 and up
“Millennial” was mapped as ages 18–29 for 2013 migration figures.
We used the following metrics for each city for each year to calculate net migration:
- Inflow: At the city level, this is the number of people moving into the city from a different county within the same state or from a different state. At the state level, this is the number of people moving to the state.
- Outflow: At the city level, this is the number of people moving out of the city to a different county in the same state or to a different state. At the state level, this is the number of people moving out of the state.
Questions about our study? Please contact the author here.
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