HOUSTON — Texans seem to have a thing for staying close to home, as the Lone Star State ranks number one for people who move but don't leave the state.
That’s according to a new study from Texas Realtors.
Using data from the U.S. Census, the study reveals that in 2023, more than 11% of Texas’s population, roughly 3,356,000 people, moved from one place in Texas to another. That’s not just the highest percentage of in-state movers in the U.S.; it’s also the largest number of people.
However, it’s not just Texans reshuffling within the state. Texas remains a hot spot for people moving in from out of state.
Top takeaways from the study
- Texas leads the nation in in-state moves, with over 3.3 million residents relocating within its borders in 2023.
- It remains a top destination for people moving from out of state, accounting for 8.1% of all interstate moves in the U.S.
- California was both the top state Texans moved to and the largest source of new residents, resulting in a net gain of more than 55,000 people for Texas.
- Overall, Texas experienced a net population increase of more than 133,000 residents from state-to-state moves in 2023.
While moving trends across the U.S. were slightly down in 2023, Texas held steady, drawing 8.1% of all interstate relocations for the second year in a row. Only Florida topped that number, with 8.4% of all state-to-state moves.
More Californians coming to Texas
And when Texans do leave, where are they going? California was the most popular destination and also the top source of new residents moving into Texas.
However, Texas saw a big win in this trade-off. A significantly higher number of people moved from California to Texas, resulting in a net gain of more than 55,000 new residents in 2023. That’s the largest net gain from any state.
Florida comes in second for net movers exchanged with Texas, adding around 13,000 people to Texas’s population last year.
On the flip side, Colorado and North Carolina were the top states that saw more Texans leave than come in.
All told, Texas welcomed a net gain of more than 133,000 residents from other states in 2023.
