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In January, U.S. Census data showed that Americans were flocking to the Sun Belt states and according to a new report from moveBuddha that trend is still going strong. The relocation tech company used proprietary data collected from 2020 through October 1, 2025, to analyze move trends. moveBuddha calculated the rates using an in-to-out ratio equation, based on the number of queries to move in divided by the number of queries to move out, using the company's moving cost calculator. The report found that four of the top 10 states people are looking to move to most are located in the South. "The pattern is unmistakable: Americans are trading square footage for quality of life, megacities for mid-markets, and high costs for breathing room," the report states. Ryan Carrigan, founder of moveBuddha, tells CNBC Make It that the report confirms this trend that's been established for a while: People are moving South. "It's just a very popular place to move. I think there's a lot of affordability and housing availability. Those things are pretty big factors in terms of people moving," he says. Carrigan also said the report shows that some of the covid-19 trends are starting to reverse, as evidenced by California not seeing as high a rate of people moving out. Despite that, California remains an exit state with one of the lowest in-to-out ratios in the country. "At some point, it had to reverse, but you don't really see anything improving in California. They still have a lot of challenges, including cost of living, unemployment, and natural disaster challenges too. Everyone who was going to leave has left, but they are also benefiting from the AI boom, particularly in Northern California right now," he adds. In-to-out-ratio: 1.97 South Carolina is the most popular state to move to for the sixth year in a row. Movers have shown more than double the interest in moves in than out. According to the report, one big reason for that trend is that the state still offers affordability and access to nature, which boosts job growth. South Carolina was one of the five states with the highest net volume of move-related searches, at 13.7%. Carrigan says another reason South Carolina came in at the top of the list is that it's a major retiree state. According to a 2021 Population Reference Bureau report, 18.7% of South Carolina's population is age 65 and over. "Younger people aren't really moving and moving has been generally slower since covid-19," he says. "South Carolina benefits from being a retiree state, which is still a good portion of people moving, and it's also the story that there's still affordability and housing availability." North Carolina ranked as the No. 1 state for business in CNBC's annual study. This is the third time it's been at the top in the last four years. It was No. 1 in 2022 and 2023 and then No. 2 in 2021 and 2024. The study states North Carolina's biggest strengths are in the categories of economy, workforce and business friendliness. The state's gross domestic product grew by a healthy 3.7% last year, the fifth-strongest in the country. The state added more than 60,000 jobs last year. The cost of living in North Carolina is the same as the national average. Housing is 14% lower than the national average, while utilities are 2% lower, according to RentCafe. Want to level up your AI skills? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It's new online course, How To Use AI To Communicate Better At Work. Get specific prompts to optimize emails, memos and presentations for tone, context and audience. Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 20% off. Offer valid Oct. 21 through Oct. 28, 2025. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.
