The top places in the US where everyone is moving
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- A Census Bureau press release said 62% of counties had "positive net domestic migration in 2023."
- Kaufman County, Texas, had the highest positive net domestic migration rate among counties.
- All counties in Maine saw positive net domestic migration; most counties in California didn't.
Americans just can't stop moving to the Lone Star State.
A majority of Texas counties saw positive net domestic migration from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023 — or more people moving in from somewhere else within the US than people leaving these locations for a different US place. Many other US counties, including most of the counties that make up Vermont and Georgia, saw positive net domestic migration during this period.
Considering population size, Kaufman County in Texas saw the largest positive net domestic migration rate.
Business Insider looked at net domestic migration totals and rates per 1,000 people for counties. Rates were based on populations as of July 1, 2022, and net domestic migration from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. These migration and population estimates were from the Census Bureau's recently published county-level data.
In addition to the many Texas counties that saw positive net domestic migration, all counties in Maine and Delaware saw positive net domestic migration over that year.
The South is flourishing. A press release from the Census Bureau press release said: "The 10 counties with the largest net domestic in-migration were mostly in the South." Additionally, a high share of counties in Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina experienced positive net domestic migration.
Negative net domestic migration during that period was common throughout California and in Massachusetts, for instance, based on counties.
"Sixty-two percent of counties, up from 60% in 2022, experienced positive net domestic migration in 2023," the press release from the Census Bureau stated. "In addition, net domestic migration generally moderated among some of the counties with the largest amounts of net domestic in-migration and out-migration in 2022."
Kaufman County had the highest positive net domestic migration rate. This county also ranked No. 1 for its overall population growth from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023. A lot of other locations that were part of the top 10 percent total population increases based on big counties made the top 10 for positive net domestic migration rates among large counties:
Los Angeles County, California, saw the largest total negative net domestic migration between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, among counties. However, Lassen County in California had the largest negative net domestic migration rate among big counties adjusted by 2022 population. Two New York counties made the top 10 negative net domestic migration rates among big counties.