Where Did They Come From and Where Did They Go?—Top Pandemic Migration Hotspots

As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent across the U.S., homebuyers are migrating in droves to warmer and more affordable markets, Realtor.com reports. Five of the top 10 counties with the highest number of new arrivals were in Texas, and the remainder were also in Sun Belt states where sunny weather and housing costs lured buyers away from northern cities during the pandemic.

Maricopa County, Arizona reported the largest share of incoming homebuyers with over 58,000 new residents between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021. On the contrary, major cities like Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco experienced a decrease in residents as a result of record-breaking housing costs and unfavorable weather in the Northeast.

The counties that saw the biggest population growth were predominantly in the South, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. Five of the top 10 counties seeing the most new residents were in Texas. Some counties, in Arizona and Florida, were also popular with retirees.

And many of these new “hot spots” were the more affordable, suburban counties where those leaving the bigger, more expensive cities could snag a larger home with some land—a place to ride out the pandemic.

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