The Top City in the US Everyone Wants to Move to by State in 2026

Using search data from the moveBuddha Moving Cost Calculator, we analyzed searches from January 1, 2026 through August 12, 2026, to identify the top city in each state Americans want to move to this year.

While not every search turns into a move, search behavior offers an early signal of where interest is building. We won’t know for sure where today’s movers really go until the 2026 Census data estimates are released in 2027, but their interest can tell us 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 2026 moves?

• Bowling Green, KY is #1 with a 5.00 ratio.
• Las Cruces jumps 18 spots to #3.
• More than a third of the top 25 have typical single-family home values below the ~$370,000 U.S. average.

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Big Takeaways

• Bowling Green, KY is #1. The city recorded way more inbound searches compared with just 27 outbound, giving it a 5.00 in-to-out ratio.
• Las Cruces move-in interest is surging. The New Mexico city jumps 18 spots to #3, with its in-to-out ratio more than doubling from 1.56 to 3.17.
• Florida and South Carolina retirement and vacation hubs rank near the top. The Villages takes #2 with a 3.40 ratio, while Myrtle Beach lands at #4 with a 2.92 ratio.
• Affordability stands out, but it is not the whole story. Four of the national top 10 have typical home values below their statewide value, and nine of the top 25 fall below the roughly $370,000 U.S. average. While cities like #10 Boulder see homes ~$1.14 million.

The Top 10 Move-to Cities of 2026

This year's top 10 with the highest in-to-out move ratio includes several familiar names, but there is a new city at the top.

Bowling Green is #1 for earning way more interest for moves in than out, with a 5.00 in-to-out ratio.

One possible draw is Bowling Green’s growing job base paired with relatively affordable housing: AKFA Aluminum broke ground on its first U.S. manufacturing facility there in May, a project expected to create 331 jobs, while the city’s typical single-family home value is just $286,980.

Las Cruces makes a big move up in the ranking, jumping from #21 in our earlier analysis to #3 today. Its in-to-out ratio has more than doubled, from 1.56 to 3.17.

That follows another moveBuddha analysis that identified Las Cruces as one of the country's fastest-rising cities for move interest. The city has also landed new investment, including Endurance Technologies' first U.S. manufacturing facility, expected to create 43 jobs with $18.6 million in capital expenditures.

The mid-year ranking includes several cities that were already drawing strong mover interest earlier in 2026 such as: The Villages ranks #2, Johnson City is #5, Kingman is #9, Palm Springs is #11, and Portland, ME is #13, and #19 Huntsville.

Four of the National Top 10 Cost Less Than Their State Overall

Housing costs do not explain every move, but affordability stands out across many of the country's hottest destinations. Nine of the national top 25 have typical single-family home values below the roughly $370,000 U.S. average.

Within the top 10, four cities also come in below their state overall: The Villages, Las Cruces, Johnson City, and Kingman.

Kingman offers the biggest relative discount in the top 10, with a typical single-family home value of $276,331, roughly 36% below Arizona overall and well below the national average.

Las Cruces and Johnson City also fall below both their state values and the U.S. average. The Villages comes in slightly below Florida overall, although its $392,274 home value sits above the national benchmark.

Bowling Green does not cost less than Kentucky overall, but at $286,980 it is still one of the least expensive cities in the national top 10 and well below the U.S. average.

And then there is Boulder. The #10 city has a typical single-family home value of $1,140,623, showing that strong inbound interest extends well beyond lower-cost markets.

The 10 Top Move-To Cities with the Lowest Home Values in 2026

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.

Jackson, MS is the only state-leading city with more inbound than outbound search interest and a typical single-family home value below $200,000.

Among state leaders with more inbound than outbound interest, 11 have typical single-family home values below $300,000. That group includes #1 Bowling Green, #3 Las Cruces, and #9 Kingman.

Only state leaders with more inbound than outbound search interest are included in the following lowest- and highest-value lists.

The 10 Top Move-To Cities with the Highest Home Values in 2026

At the other end, the most expensive state favorites include several cities still seeing stronger inbound than outbound search interest.

McLean, VA is the highest-value city in this group at $1,769,758, while still posting a 1.12 in-to-out ratio.

Boulder ranks #10 nationally despite a typical single-family home value of $1,140,623 and a 2.16 in-to-out ratio.

Princeton and Palm Springs also top $900,000, while Bozeman remains above $800,000.

Conclusion

Bowling Green's rise to #1 and Las Cruces' jump to #3 show how quickly mover interest can shift.

The housing data also shows there is no single price point attracting would-be movers. Four of the top 10 cities cost less than their state overall, while Boulder draws more than twice as many inbound as outbound searches despite a typical single-family home value above $1.1 million.

If you're weighing a move of your own, use these rankings as a starting point rather than a prediction of where people will ultimately settle. moveBuddha tracks millions of moving searches and uses real mover behavior to spot these shifts early, helping people see which places are making movers' shortlists before official migration data catches up.

Methodology

To determine the top move-to city in every state, we analyzed moveBuddha Moving Cost Calculator search data from January 1 through August 12, 2026.

For each city, the in-to-out ratio compares searches for moves into the city with searches for moves out. A ratio above 1.0 means the city received more inbound than outbound search interest; a ratio below 1.0 means the reverse.

Only cities with at least 25 searches for moves both in and out were considered. That left one state — Hawaii — out of this year's data.

Ten states did not have a qualifying city with an in-to-out ratio above 1.0. In those states, the city shown is the qualifying location with the strongest ratio:

• Hartford, CT - 0.91
• Boston, MA - 0.94
• Minneapolis, MN - 0.91
• Lincoln, NE - 0.97
• Manchester, NH - 0.95
• Minot, ND - 1.00
• Dublin, OH - 0.97
• Providence, RI - 0.87
• Morgantown, WV - 0.84
• Cheyenne, WY - 0.65

For housing comparisons, we used July 2026 Zillow Home Value Index data for single-family homes, comparing the typical home value in each city with the corresponding statewide value.

moveBuddha search data measures relocation interest, not completed moves or the reasons behind an individual search.

Full list of the top cities in each state:

Ryan Carrigan

Ryan Carrigan is the co-founder of moveBuddha and a leading voice in the moving industry, helping hundreds of thousands of Americans make smarter, safer relocation decisions each year. With more than a decade of experience analyzing moving companies, pricing trends, and industry regulations, Ryan brings hands-on industry knowledge and data-driven insight to every guide and review. His research has been featured in Forbes, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, and NBC News.