The top city people want to move to in every state in 2025
Discover the most desired city to move to in each U.S. state for 2025. Explore trends in migration, lifestyle, affordability, and why these cities are attracting new residents.
By Joe Robison for moveBuddhaAug. 11 2025, Updated 12:17 p.m. ET
The top city people want to move to in every state in 2025
Between 2020 and 2024, the fastest-growing cities were mid-sized gems where remote workers who wanted to live larger and cheaper. Many sought homeownership — buying a home is a key factor in where Americans choose to put down roots.
But in 2025, with remote work under fire, the high quality of life “Zoom Towns” that boomed should be busting today. Are they?
To know where Americans are moving now, moveBuddha used search data from its Moving Cost Calculator to analyze searches made from July 2024 to March 2025 with a “planned move date” at any point in 2025.
Not all will finalize their moves, so it’s difficult to tell for sure where today’s movers really go until 2025’s census data becomes available in the spring of 2026. Still, their interest can reveal a lot about their dreams and plans for the coming year before they even move.
So, what cities are Americans loving the most, by state, for their 2025 moves?
Big Takeaways
- Small cities are big news. Like #1, Johnson City, TN, which usurped Chatanooga’s top spot last year. Similarly, last year’s top spot, Idaho, Boise, made way for Coeur d’Alene in 2025.
- Move interest is cooling in top spots that retain their 2024 crowns. In Florida, the Villages is still #1, but its in-to-out move ratio fell from 4.38 to 2.46; Burlington, VT’s ratio slid from 2.11 to 1.17, and Cheyenne, WY, saw interest tumble from 2.13 to 1.33.
- Affordable up-and-comers threaten headline cities. Take Duluth, GA, which toppled the 2024 winner, Decatur, and Bozeman, MT, which dethroned Billings.
- Small regional hubs reversed last year’s break-even move winners, flipping the script and are seeing positive inflow to small regional hubs like Harrisburg, PA, (1.54), Shreveport, LA, (1.90), and Ithaca, NY (1.52).
Fastest-Growing: The Top 10 Move-to Cities of 2025
If “Zoom Towns” refers to secondary cities with lower rents and less hustle, then the bust isn’t here yet. These secondary cities, known for more “small city charm,” still top today’s move lists.
The top 10 cities highlight a variety of preferences but underscore a common desire for quality of life, community, and affordability.
Just one of the top ten cities with the highest in-to-out move ratios is the largest city in its state in terms of metropolitan area population — Portland, ME. And it joins just seven other cities where the largest city is also the most popular move destination in 2025, mostly from states with small populations and few cities overall.
Small Cities Dominate Top Destinations for 2025
The top ten shows off these rugged and rural roots:
- Johnson City, TN, boasts under 100,000 people and is a university town nestled in the Appalachian foothills near the famed multi-state hiking trail, where mountain biking, camping, and fishing lakes beckon.
- Coeur d’Alene, ID, is perched at the north end of Coeur d’Alene Lake, where new residents can boat, fish, and kayak — and leave bustling Boise behind.
- Fairbanks, AK, is an outpost in the inland north, where hiking, canoeing on the Chena River, and dog sledding are capped off by a night in the hot springs.
- St. George, UT, is 40 miles from Zion National Park’s towering red rock spires, but 118 miles from Las Vegas, the nearest large city.
- Hickory, NC, just outside the top ten, lets future North Carolinians escape the population explosion in Raleigh without giving up their strolls through the farmer’s market and art walks.
These cities suggest movers are particularly drawn to smaller cities with outdoor and scenic appeal. Meanwhile, interest in Duluth, GA, Summerville, SC, and Gulfport, MS, suggests plenty of interest in suburban enclaves away from larger cities.
Further, top retiree destinations like The Villages, FL, Coeur d’Alene, ID, and St. George, UT, suggest that leaving the rat race is also a big part of the appeal of small cities.
Move Interest Is Cooling in Top Spots Compared to 2024
Last year, the Villages was a racehorse that outpaced every other city in the country for growth. Fueled by a “silver tsunami,” the Baby Boomtown had been on the rise for a decade and showed no signs of slowing down in 2024. That’s no longer true in 2025. Its in-to-out move ratio plummeted 44% this year.
In fact, there’s been a decline in interest in 8 out of 2024’s top-ten cities. Many of these former hotspots have seen a cooling effect this year, even when they remain the state’s top destination.
Along with the Villages, Burlington, VT’s move interest fell from 2.11 to 1.17, and Cheyenne, WY, saw interest decline from 2.13 to 1.33. Cheyenne was a pandemic-era migration winner as movers headed for its wide-open spaces. While demand is still strong compared to other Cowboy State destinations, overall move interest has reduced the number of moving trucks that actually pull into these still popular towns.
Up and Comers and Affordable Cities Dethrone Headliners for 2025
In 2025, 26 of the 50 top cities we analyzed come with one very attractive selling point: an average home price under the national average.
Some top cities are relatively cheap: Johnson City, TN, Huntsville, AL, Shreveport, LA, Fairbanks, AK, and Kingman, AZ, for example, all boast home prices under $300K. That’s not only under the national average, but it also comes alongside desirable living conditions, whether Johnson City and Fairbanks’ outdoor access or Hunstsville’s thriving job market. All five cities saw their move ratios increase in 2025.
While some desirable, affordable cities saw jumps in their move ratios in early 2025, other states find that their top up-and-comer destinations aren’t their most affordable. Take Duluth, GA, which toppled the 2024 winner, Decatur, and Bozeman, MT, which dethroned Billings. Both 2024 winners had housing costs that were significantly less than this year’s champions.
So, while real estate prices are key in move decisions, they aren’t everything. The top ten popular cities for 2025 have an average home value of $384,132, while home prices average only slightly less in the least popular winning cities ($379,856). It seems like this year, factors besides price may be playing a more decisive role in where people are moving.
Some Fast Rising Stars are Reversing Population Outflow
Ultimately, cities on this list balance recreational, cultural, and economic opportunities, but not always affordability, space, and housing size.
That trend has meant that in 2025, some small regional hubs have managed to reverse last year’s break-even or declining populations with some positive inflow. Pay attention to budding hotspots off the beaten track like Harrisburg, PA (1.54), and Ithaca, NY (1.52). Harrisburg has increased its move ratio 48% while Ithaca’s is up 23% over 2024.
Two previously unpopular cities are performing even better this year. In 2024, Shreveport, LA, and Providence, RI, had negative outflow, with more residents looking to move out than those seeking a new life there. In 2025, they’re both leading their state’s in-moves.
Instead of big-name metros, all the cities surging ahead and making the list for the first time this year are “right-sized” destinations, suggesting movers may be interested in small to medium regional hubs rather than headliner cities.
The 10 Top Move-To Cities with the Lowest Home Prices in 2025
Looking for the most housing bang for your buck? Check out these desirable gems in affordable communities that are catching the attention of movers right now.
Eight winning cities even have housing under the $200K mark: Youngstown, OH; Peoria, IL; Lawton, OK; Shreveport, LA; Lansing, MI; Kansas City, KS; Gulfport, MS; and Des Moines, IA.
Your most affordable option is Youngstown, OH. Once a steel capital, today, its average home price is 83% lower than the average, and it's been named the most affordable retirement destination. Youngstown sits between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, close enough for trips to catch a major league game or the next big summer concert.
What’s the most popular of the cheap locales? That’s Gulf Port, MS, which is seeing more than double the number of move-ins as move-outs this year. With white sand beaches, a thriving casino and nightlife scene, and easy access to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, it’s the kind of medium-sized enclave that defines 2025’s up-and-coming cities.
The 10 Top Move-To Cities with the Highest Home Values in 2025
In all the most expensive top destinations, the average home price is more than 50% above the national average. That hasn’t stopped newcomers from seeking out these destinations.
Topping the “least affordable top destinations” again this year, Boulder continues to have some of the highest housing prices in the country. But with its college-town culture, mountain lifestyle, and high annual sun hours close to the economic hub of Denver, people are still pouring in. They’ll pay $956,358 for an average home here. Regardless, Boulder’s popularity has dipped just 7% over the last year, and nearly double the number of people moving out are lining up to call the mountain haven their next hometown.
If the most expensive cities have one thing in common, it’s that you’ll find it hard to score a better housing deal elsewhere in the state.
From California to Connecticut, some of the most expensive desirable cities are holding their own against other in-state cities with their quality of life amenities, though their prices mirror statewide trends.
But there are also more locations this year that are among their state’s most desirable real estate, from Bend, OR, to Bozeman, MT, Portland, ME, and Coeur d’Alene, ID. Many of these desirable communities have strong lifestyle appeal, from resorts to ski slopes to golf courses, mountain vibes, and strong communities. While Bozeman saw interest taper off this year, falling from 2.41 to 1.59, other premium destination cities are proving that, when it comes to move destinations in 2025, affordability isn’t everything.
How searches for moves in 2025 challenge yesterday's moving trends
Searches for new moves into 2025's top cities in each state don't always align with census population growth metrics from 2022 to 2023.
In fact, one city in the current top ten for move interest had negative population growth from 2022 to 2023 — Fairbanks, AK. Though move interest doesn’t mean population growth (births and immigration help, too), the reversal does suggest that Americans’ moving patterns are undergoing a shift. Other cities in the top ten today with less than 1% population growth from 2022 to 2023 are Coeur d’Alene, ID; Duluth. GA; and Summerville, SC.
Summerville, in particular, has picked up steam this year, emerging as a not-quite-rural gem outside the hustle of Charleston. While it was South Carolina’s #6 city last year, in 2025, it’s stealing the show.
Americans are prioritizing the cost of home ownership less in 2025 moves, instead seeking small to mid-size cities where they’ll reap quality-of-life benefits.
In the end, it seems that the remote work revolution continues, with large cities continuing to be absent from the winner’s circle, and more diverse, smaller cities showing even stronger growth so far this year.
Mid-Sized, Livable Cities are Topping Big Cities in 2025
Want to enjoy affordability without committing to a rural lifestyle? Youngstown, OH; Hickory, NC; McAllen, TX; or Gulfport, MS, could be your ticket.
Looking for a human-sized metro with a strong economy? Huntsville, AL; Harrisburg, PA; or Lexington, KY,
Interest piqued by suburban areas and hybrid cities outside of urban metros? Look at Summerville, SC; Duluth, GA; Silver Spring, MD; or Nashua, NH.
Whatever your preference, megapolis living is out in 2025. So, while Zoom Towns may be out for 2025, livability isn’t. And that trend isn’t going anywhere.
Methodology
To determine the top move-to city in every state, moveBuddha analyzed its most recent mover search data to compile a list of moves planned for 2025. The data used for this analysis includes searches made at any time between July 1, 2024, and March 10, 2025, where searches indicated they were planning to move at any time in 2025.
Only cities with at least 20 searches for moves both in and out were considered. That left one state — Hawaii — left out of this year's data.
There were four states that didn't have a single city in the dataset with an in-to-out ratio greater than "1" meaning there was not technically a top "move to" city according to mover search data. These cities, instead, were the least "moved out" of cities in their state:
- Newark, New Jersey
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Fargo, North Dakota
We also used Zillow Home Value Index data (Jan 2025) for home averages and U.S. Census population estimates.
Full list of the top cities in each state:
This story was produced by moveBuddha and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
