TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida’s been a top destination for Americans looking to move for years, especially during the pandemic. Now, a study by MoveBuddha says the inflow of those moving to Florida is slowing down. When it comes to moving, the name of the game is availability and affordability.
In 2021, Americans headed for southern U.S. and mountain west states, where the cost of living is lower. The states include Texas, North Carolina and Florida, however, the inflow of those moving to the Sunshine State dropped 15% in 2022, according to MoveBuddha.
Despite the drop, Florida is still in the top 10 most popular states to move to, coming in at No. 8, according to the MoveBuddha data.
“In 2021, Florida outshone every other state for in-moves, jumping 42.8% in popularity over 2020,” MoveBuddha reported. “This year, Florida is No. 2 for the biggest popularity loss, seeing its in-to-out move ratio tumble 49.2%. While there are still 1.6 new Floridians moving in for every move-out, it seems Florida’s in-migration is leveling off.”
Still, Florida was home to a big portion of net migration across the U.S.
MoveBuddha ranked Florida as No. 8 for inflow, ahead of Colorado and Tennessee. While the state still had big migration, the leveling off meant a decrease in interest for those moving, with multiple cities in the Tampa Bay area affected.
MoveBuddha reported cities like Tampa, Winter Haven, Brooksville, and Avon Park all saw “steep declines” in interest, though they still maintained high inflow. The company reported that of the 25 declines for growth when it came to an in-out ratio of those moving, Florida and Texas were the states with 14 of the cities in decline.
“Looking purely at big cities across the nation (population 250,000 or more) which dropped in popularity, Tampa saw the biggest drop in inflow (-69%) nationwide,” MoveBuddha said. “Echoing the last point, the city maintains a high inflow of 179 moves in for every 100 out.”
Despite the declining interest, nine Florida cities still made it into the top inflow ranking in the U.S., with The Villages taking the top spot.
| Rank | City | Population | In-Out Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Villages, Fla. | 81,444 | 4.37 |
| 2 | Portland, Maine | 68,313 | 3.66 |
| 3 | Ocala, Fla. | 64,096 | 3.21 |
| 4 | Asheville, N.C. | 94,067 | 3.16 |
| 5 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | 182,113 | 3.16 |
| 6 | Eagle Rock, N.C. | 19,589 | 3.07 |
| 7 | Clermont, Fla. | 44,530 | 3.04 |
| 8 | Missoula, Mont. | 74,822 | 2.88 |
| 9 | Greenville, S.C. | 72,095 | 2.77 |
| 10 | Sarasota, Fla. | 54,764 | 2.66 |
| 11 | Myrtle Beach, S.C. | 37,100 | 2.64 |
| 12 | Bozeman, Mont. | 54,539 | 2.59 |
| 13 | Honolulu, Hawaii | 345,510 | 2.58 |
| 14 | Anchorage, Alaska | 288,000 | 2.56 |
| 15 | Summerville, S.C. | 51,216 | 2.49 |
| 16 | Huntsville, Ala. | 216,963 | 2.48 |
| 17 | Jacksonville, N.C. | 72,876 | 2.48 |
| 18 | Palm Coast, Fla. | 93,833 | 2.44 |
| 19 | Winters, Texas | 2,365 | 2.44 |
| 20 | Avon Park, Fla. | 9,839 | 2.42 |
| 21 | Saint Augustine, Fla. | 14,581 | 2.42 |
| 22 | Port Saint Lucie, Fla. | 201,846 | 2.38 |
| 23 | Melbourne, Fla. | 85,064 | 2.36 |
| 24 | Tyler, Texas | 107,192 | 2.28 |
| 25 | Wilmington, N.C. | 117,643 | 2.25 |
