California, South Florida, Long Island, New Jersey: The Places People Are Leaving in Droves in 2025
Skyrocketing costs and shifting priorities mean people are packing up and leaving some cities and states in droves, while others are flocking to more affordable or lifestyle-friendly destinations.
California, South Florida, Long Island, and New Jersey lead the list of places people are moving from in 2025, as they attempt to find a better life balance amid surging housing costs and a higher cost of living.
It's no wonder more people are relocating or are thinking of relocating. The cost of living in the U.S. has climbed sharply in recent years (approximately 23.7% from February 2020 to September 2024), driven by inflation and rising costs for essentials like housing, food, healthcare, insurance, and transportation. Housing costs jumped 4.4% in 2024, with home prices soaring 52.4% over five years and a whopping 94% over ten years, per the Consumer Price Index, way outpacing what most people are earning. Yet, despite inflation cooling to 2.4% in May 2025, many Americans continue to feel the strain on their finances.
Roughly 37% of people surveyed by PODS, a portable storage container company, said that they are considering relocating to more affordable states due to high housing costs. Instead of staying in once-popular megacities, where skyrocketing costs of living and booming population numbers are the norm, people seem to be favoring more breathable cities and towns with a lower cost of living and vibrant cultural scene.
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So, which places are people leaving in droves, and which places are people moving to?
People are fleeing these cities in large numbers
Half of the most moved-out-of cities are up north — mostly in the Northeast and West. The outliers to this include South Florida (check out our Florida Tax Guide) and Washington, DC, which placed 3rd and 14th on the PODS list, respectively.
Many of these cities have a weighty combination of high living costs, low numbers of affordable housing, increased natural disaster risks and overcrowding. It’s not surprising that some of the most expensive metropolitan areas in the country are losing residents to other parts of the country with a lower cost of living.
Cities that made the PODS list last year but failed to feature for 2025 include Baltimore, Portland (OR), Northern New Jersey, and Minneapolis.
Top cities and states people are leaving in 2025
- Los Angeles, CA (also 1st in 2024)
- Northern California (San Francisco area)
- South Florida (Miami area)
- Long Island, NY
- San Diego, CA
- Central Jersey, NJ
- Chicago, IL
- Boston, MA
- Hudson Valley, NY
- Denver, CO
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Stockton-Modesto, CA
- Washington, DC
- Hartford, CT
- Tampa Bay, FL
- Fresno, CA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Philadelphia, PA
Where are most people moving to in 2025?
PODS notes that nearly two-thirds of all moves are to the Sun Belt, offering warm weather, less crowding, and a lower overall cost of living. However, a deeper look reveals the most popular states to move to are overwhelmingly located in the Southeast, and include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
It’s interesting to note that for the second year in a row, the Carolinas have the highest number of ranking cities on the list and the highest number of cities in the top 10. Tennessee comes in a close second. This matches data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent interstate migration estimates.
20 Cities With the Highest Number of Move-Ins
- Myrtle Beach, SC/Wilmington, NC (1st in 2024)
- Ocala, FL
- Raleigh, NC
- Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Boise, ID
- Knoxville, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Jacksonville, FL
- Chattanooga, TN
- Huntsville, AL
- Portland, ME
- Johnson City, TN
- Spokane, WA
- Atlanta, GA
- Greensboro, NC
- Asheville, NC
- San Antonio, TX
- Dover, DE
Your ability to retire in these areas
An early 2025 Nationwide survey analyzed moving trends and residents' satisfaction with a particular area of the country in all four regions — the Northeast, the Midwest, the South and the West. While nearly three out of four Southern and Midwestern respondents said it makes financial sense to retire in their cities or states, people in the Northeast and the West were far less confident.
Only 63% of Western residents and 59% of Northeastern residents believed it made financial sense to retire in their current cities or states. The survey also found that 21% of those living in the West and 20% of those living in the Northeast expect to be forced to relocate to a more affordable area when they retire. This essentially fits with estimates about the cost of living in those areas.
Much of the South and Midwest have a low to average cost of living compared to the national average, as measured by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). The most expensive states in the contiguous United States are in the Northwest and West. This coincides with PODS results. Yet, those in the Northeast and West were more likely to say they wanted to retire in their current city or state than those in the Midwest and South.
According to Nationwide, people worried about managing their income in retirement are very concerned about the high cost of living in the Northwest, with one in four (25%) saying they will need to continue working in retirement to supplement their income. In the Midwest, working longer and delaying retirement isn’t as much of a priority as just 32% of Midwesterners say they plan to work past age 65—the lowest share in all U.S. regions.
Last word
With the cost of living climbing nationwide, driven by inflation and soaring prices for essentials like housing (up 27.3% over five years), food (up 23.3% for groceries) and transportation (up 49.3%), where you choose to live has become critical, especially for those on fixed budgets or relying heavily on Social Security. Despite inflation cooling a bit, financial strain persists, especially for retirees, pushing many to prioritize affordability and quality of life in their choice of cities and states.
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