July-August 2025 Moving Trends: Top States Americans Are Moving To
Americans are said to be at home where the buffalo roam (metaphorically), but it’s not always reflected in their domestic migration. In fact, movers are more typically attracted to city lights and job opportunities, and to suburbs with plenty of room to stretch out and raise a family.
That isn’t the case this summer.
We analyzed thousands of searches from moveBuddha’s Cost Calculator to track which states are seeing their inbound interest surge as the moving season hits its 2025 peak.
Here’s what we found: American movers are returning to their roots on the range, as rural states are surging in popularity.
This August, South Dakota leads the nation in the net inbound moves ratio, with more people planning to relocate there than leave. This is emblematic of a larger trend of Americans moving toward rural and less densely populated states.
That confirms searches we saw conducted in July, which indicated that Maine is the most popular U.S. state, with more in-moves than out compared to anywhere else, and states like Wyoming leaping 47 spots to #3 overall.
Key Takeaways for Moves Planned for August
For August 2025, we analyzed the most popular destinations planned for a move in August, based on searches conducted at any time in 2025.
- What’s happening right now? For moves planned to occur in August 2025, South Dakota has overtaken South Carolina as the nation’s #1 destination (per capita), with an in-to-out ratio of 1.80.
- States with low population density are emerging as top winners: 3 of the nation’s least dense states (South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana) also top the August move list.
Key Takeaways for Moves Searched for in July
For July data, we analyzed the vibes based on their searches: what were people feeling in July as they planned future moves?
- Migration ratios rose across all regions for moves searched for in July 2025, suggesting a broadening of migration interest, not just concentrated surges in a few breakout states. The Northeast edged up the least, with 8.9% more interest than June, while the Midwest rose 88.5% flipping from net negative to net positive.
- Rural and low-population states are winning searches. In fact, the 10 least popular states have populations that are ~481% larger than the top states, on average.
- Maine leaped from #7 to #1 in July with a 2.17 in-to-out move ratio that’s spiked over 37% compared to June as the Pine Tree State rides a popularity wave. Joining it are South Dakota and Wyoming, which also saw 35+% gains among searchers in July.
- Legacy suburban states (like Connecticut and New Jersey) saw the month’s biggest declines. Connecticut led the pack, slipping from #32 to #50 with a 60% decrease and competing with New Jersey and California for outbound dominance.
Americans are Planning to Move to South Dakota this August
August’s planned moves may have been searched in January 2025 or just last week, near the end of July. Nevertheless, for those looking to complete a move in August, South Dakota is prairie perfect.
With an in-to-out move ratio of 1.80 (1.8 newcomers for every exit move), South Dakotans’ move ratio is 4% higher than #2 South Carolina. That’s saying something: the Southern belle has topped move ratios for the past 2 years running.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Palmetto State?
It’s possible. For moves searched in July, the state also surrendered its top spot.
While it still sees strong move interest compared to those planning to move out, other states are starting to catch movers’ eyes.
Movers are Planning to Head to the Rural North Right Now
The South has dominated moving trends for years, but in August, that trend is weakening.
South Dakota overtakes South Carolina with the nation’s highest ratio of planned moves heading inbound versus outward. #2 South Carolina is still strong, but it’s joined by #3 Idaho, #4 North Carolina, and #5 Oregon.
Notice a Pattern?
More northern and rural states with smaller populations are gaining ground, interspersed with the decade’s traditional winners. And while they’re overall seeing small raw numbers of movers, those that are coming are far more likely to stay put than those heading out.
That may be the heart of this summer’s moving success story: while the South remains trendy (at least in some states), it’s also seeing more out-moves that threaten that popularity, while lonelier states are wooing newcomers and keeping them longer.
These outdoorsy states are not only smaller; they’re less dense. Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota fall in the bottom 20th percentile for density, and also make August’s top 10 move-to states.
That suggests that many movers have prioritized room to stretch out, not just job market prowess.
Perhaps that’s part of why movers aren’t rediscovering California and the Northeast this August, either.
With just .56 newcomers for every outbound move, California tops the states with the highest outflow. That’s a little better than for 2024, but the state shows consistent, significant outbound traffic compared to in-moves.
July 2025 Moving Trends Recap: Big Skies, Bigger Move Ratios
In moveBuddha’s data, we capture both where people were searching to move to, when they planned to move, and the time they did the search. What follows are highlights for people who were searching in July 2025, with a plan to move at any point in the future.
Sure, the deepest greens are in states that have been popular for the past few years: the Mountain West and the South. But the South is no longer the most dominant story.
Instead, when movers searched in July for their future moves, their data revealed that domestic migration is shifting in favor of less populated states, regardless of region.
People are interested in moving everywhere this month — and that interest gain goes along with an overall favorable in-to-out move ratio in July in every single region (though the popular South just breaks even at .99).
In fact, though regional migration differs in absolute terms, every single region is seeing more in-migration interest than it saw in June.
Movers aren’t giving up on any single region, but they’re more likely to be picking regional favorites with low populations and rural character.
Consider this: in the top ten in-move states in July 2025, the average population is 1.78 million while it’s 10.34 million in the bottom 10. And the top ten see just 58.9% of their state urbanized, while among the bottom 10, the average rate is 91.3%.
These rural winners do have average lower household incomes, but come with lower prices, too. So as economies decouple from large, urbanized, high-income centers, these cities lose their magnetism. And movers continue flocking to low-density, lower-cost regions.
Maine was Wicked Popular in July
Maine posts the highest in-to-out move ratio in the country in July, with more than twice the number of potential newcomers compared to exits. That 2.17 ratio is up from the state’s 1.58 ratio in June, and it’s 117% above the national median. As moving’s busiest season peaks, Maine’s star is only getting brighter: its 37% increase is the most significant jump in the top ten.
South Dakota and Wyoming made the most significant gains by percent: both added at least 85% to their in-to-out ratios compared to June. Big swings can be typical in low-population states, where small fluctuations in terms of real moves create big differences. But the final numbers matter: both states ended up well above the median.
Wyoming’s July ratio is 64% above the national median, while South Dakota’s leap lands it 63% above the norm, both signalling genuine and growing interest.
Connecticut Slides into Outbound Territory
Move over, California, New Jersey, and New York. While the typical candidates are still seeing much more outbound interest compared to those looking to move in, Connecticut had them beat in July.
Connecticut records the sharpest decline of any state in July (although Washington, D.C. has it beat), with its move ratio falling from .93 to .36, a 61% decline in a single month. That means that just 36 relocators are heading into Connecticut for every 100 Nutmeggers looking to leave.
New Jersey and New York saw the country’s next steepest drops of 12% and 6%, respectively.
Both states have seen strong outflow for years. Together with Maryland, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, they represent a midcentury urbanization that once drew upwardly mobile families to bedroom communities. Today, those connected outposts are losing their sheen.
These states join California at the bottom of the popularity list. Though California ranks #3 in the country for the sheer number of people looking to move in, it has the country’s largest cohort looking to leave. Though California is up from a .62 move ratio in June to .66 today, the state isn’t getting close to breaking even.
Migration Flips Toward Wide Open Spaces
While leaving big cities is a trend with deep roots in the American experience, the trend in summer 2025 is where people are moving instead. Whether they planned a move for August, or searched for a move in July (intending to pull up stakes anytime in the future), they’re looking in new places than they were over the past few years.
Commuter towns are giving way to more rural communities farther afield from their urban centers: think exurbs and towns, not bedroom communities.
As pine-forested Maine gained ground, so did rugged Wyoming and far-flung South Dakota. At the same time, the darling of domestic migration — the U.S. South — flattened out, seeing as many movers call it quits as those looking to relocate inbound.
Overall, this summer, there’s a snowballing trend away from job hubs and into exurbs and rural towns and states that weren’t on the radar until recently. And that planning that started in July gained even more momentum in August.
What’s coming in September?
We can’t predict if these types of searches will continue, but based on the trends right now, the map will continue to be redrawn as movers stretch out across the country.
Methodology
We analyzed moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator from July 1, 2025, to July 31, 2025, for inquiries related to move costs across the U.S. in 49 states (Hawaii was omitted due to a lack of data needed for statistical significance).
Our moving ratio compares inquiries for inbound versus outbound moves in any given location. Comparing inbound to outbound moves equalizes large and small states with many moves.
While per capita move inquiries can only tell us how many inbound versus outbound moves are likely to take place (not how many overall moves, nor how many of these inquiries will result in moves), they’re able to compare proportional interest to and from locations, as well as assess the most popular origins and destinations.
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