A new report on moving trends has found a surprising shift in where Americans are relocating.
According to research by the moving and storage company PODS, the most popular US destinations have significantly changed in recent years.
Based on information from PODS’ moving data, the company determined that there has been a big increase in movement to southern Appalachia, a region which includes the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.
Indeed, PODS determined that the Carolinas had the highest number of move-ins in the US this year, with Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, sharing the crown for the “most moved-to city for the second year in a row.”
The cities, in separate states but not far from one another, offer residents a low cost of living, outdoor access and “a solid quality of life,” making them highly desirable in a real estate climate defined by unaffordable houses and mortgages.
The central Florida city of Ocala, meanwhile, took second place, but the Sunshine State as a whole fell in terms of move-ins this year.
In 2023, the Sunshine State dominated PODS’ list of top 20 most moved-to US cities, with six locations there making the cut. This year, however, that number went down to three.
As for the cities with the highest numbers of move-outs, PODS found that, as was the case last year, Los Angeles is losing more locals than anywhere else — followed by the San Francisco area in second place.
The whole Golden State, in fact, has continued its trend of seeing more move-outs than the rest of the nation. Last year, six California cities made it on PODS’ top 20 move-out list. This year, that number rose to seven.
“Currently, according to our latest PODS data set, the vast majority of moves PODS is facilitating in and out of the top 20 cities on our lists are not job-related moves,” it noted.
