.svg)
While consumer confidence has rebounded slightly in July, many customers are still prioritizing value-centric retail. And perhaps driven by this continued focus on value, off-price apparel chains Burlington (BURL), Ross Dress for Less (ROST), and Citi Trends (CTRN) generally experienced foot traffic and loyalty growth between April and July 2025, an encouraging metric as the critical back-to-school season ramps up.
Overall visits to Burlington, Ross, and Citi Trends increased YoY in Q2 2025 as value-forward chains continue to benefit from shoppers' increasingly budget-conscious preferences.
Burlington saw the largest increase in overall growth (+8.0% YoY), driven in part by the company's ambitious expansion plan for 2025. Ross also added new stores in 2025, helping drive a 5.8% increase in overall visits. And Citi Trends succeeded in boosting visits 4.1% YoY while maintaining a similar sized fleet.
Citi Trends' capacity to drive growth without expansion comes across when comparing the three chains' same-store visit trends. Citi Trends led with a 4.7% growth YoY, followed by Ross and Burlington which also enjoyed elevated visits, at 3.6% and 2.5%, respectively, compared to 2024.
Monthly visits showed similar growth patterns – and although traffic trends softened in June, likely driven by the retail correction following April and May’s pull-forward of demand, visits rebounded quickly the following month.
The recent increases in visits are not just due to expansions or to the acquisition of new customers. The rates of returning visitors in 2025 are higher than they were at the same periods of 2024, indicating that off-price retailers are strengthening their domination over the brick-and-mortar apparel space.
The increase in visitor frequency is likely driven by a combination of today's shoppers' extreme value orientation – with some consumers likely trading down from traditional apparel – and by the treasure hunt experience created by these chains. Shoppers know that the inventory can change significantly from week to week, which incentivizes frequent trips.
Ross in particular appears to excel in attracting high shares of repeat visitors, perhaps thanks to the relatively high median household income in the chain's trade area ($73.0K compared to $68.6K for Burlington and $47.8K for Citi Trends). This could mean that Ross's visitors have a larger discretionary budget to spend on affordable luxuries – such as off-price apparel.
The three off-price retailers continue to thrive, driven by high rates of loyal visitors and store expansions. Will visits continue to grow through back-to-school and into the holiday season?
For the latest data-driven foot traffic insights, visit Placer.ai/anchor.
The home improvement segment continues to face challenges in 2025, but a deeper look into the data for Home Depot and Lowe's reveals a nuanced story of sector-wide headwinds, divergent brand performances, and potential signs of recovery.
Existing-home sales, which can often serve as a powerful indicator for how the home improvement retail sector may behave, are at some of their lowest rates in years. This housing market softness has translated into lowered consumer activity at project-driven stores like The Home Depot. Visits to the home improvement chain were down by -3.9% YoY in Q1 2025 before moderating to a 2.2% decline in Q2.
Monthly visit data offers a more granular view of Home Depot's performance. Despite a sharp YoY decline of 9.2% in February – likely due to inclement weather and the leap year comparison – visits recovered quickly. By July, foot traffic was down by just 2.5% YoY.
These trends point to a cautious stabilization, perhaps driven by shifting economic realities. With home equities up roughly 6% YoY and over half of U.S. homes at least 40 years old, homeowners are undertaking necessary repairs – and Home Depot's status as a contractor hub may help boost visits as economic concerns cool. The company is also leaning into its strengths and driving sales through other channels, such as its B2B offerings, helping position it for growth as market conditions improve.
Lowe's also faced a challenging first half of 2025, with foot traffic trends mirroring the broader home improvement sector's struggles. Quarterly visits declined by 3.7% in Q1 and 3.8% in Q2 on a year-over-year (YoY) basis, reflecting persistent pressure on consumer spending. But visit gaps narrowed by the end of Q2, and by July 2025 were just 1.1% lower than in July 2024.
Like Home Depot, Lowe's was likely impacted by the economic uncertainties and a slower housing market. But unlike Home Depot, Lowe’s still relies on DIYers for the majority of its business. Executives blamed unfavorable weather for pushing back the spring home improvement season, which led to softer DIY performance at Lowe’s in their first fiscal quarter (ending May 2nd 2025) and may have contributed to Lowe's underperformance relative to Home Depot.
Drilling down into regional foot traffic trends for Home Depot and Lowe’s in July reveals that success in the home improvement sector in 2025 is highly localized. Even during the recent challenging period, both chains experienced pockets of YoY visit growth, particularly clustered in parts of the Midwest and Southeast. For Home Depot, traffic trends were strongest in North Dakota, where YoY visits grew by 7.6% – but visit growth was clustered throughout the region. Lowe’s also enjoyed visit growth across several states, with its strongest performance centered in Midwestern states like Indiana (+4.4%) and Kentucky (+2.8%).
These geographic patterns highlight how demand in the home improvement segment shows significant variance by market, with both chains appearing to benefit in areas with steadier home sales. This is a reminder that, while nationwide visits are lower than in previous years, pockets of strong local demand can still provide a significant boost for each brand.
Moving forward, the home improvement segment has plenty of ways to adapt to a softening economic environment and slowing home sales. Will home improvement visits pick up? Or will housing market challenges continue to spill over to foot traffic?
Visit Placer.ai/anchor for the latest data-driven retail insights.
The Lollapalooza festival, held annually in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the world's most iconic music events. We dove into the location intelligence data to explore how the festival impacts tourism to the Windy City – and understand the characteristics and preferences of the audience that flocks to the city each year.
The festival acts as a powerful magnet for tourists, particularly those from nearby regions. During Lollapalooza, the number of domestic tourists to Chicago (i.e., out-of-market visitors traveling more than 50 miles) surged by 180.7% compared to an average Thursday through Sunday – and by 43.8% compared to the already-busy summer period of June and July.
But a closer look at the data reveals that the greatest increase came from visitors living 50 to 100 miles away, with a massive 343.3% increase over the 12-month average. In contrast, the smallest increase stemmed from long-distance travelers journeying 250 miles or more, with visits up just 145.7% from the average. This strong local pull shows that Lollapalooza is a regional tourism powerhouse, driving an incredible surge in visits from a concentrated market that views the festival as a premiere, must-attend event.
This substantial influx of tourists also brought a more affluent crowd than usual. Summer – peak Chicago tourist season – attracts a slightly wealthier crowd than the rest of the year. But the median household income (HHI) of visitors’ home areas hit $89.7K during Lollapalooza, a clear jump from both the June-July average of $83.9K and the 12-month average of $82.5K.
The festival’s audience is also more diverse than its reputation might suggest. The share of “Young Professionals” in the visitor mix rose to 16.6% during Lollapalooza, up from 14.5% during the summer, while the share of “Ultra Wealthy Families” climbed to 7.6% from 6.4% and the share of “Sunset Boomers” rose to 5.1% from 4.7%. The increase in these segments shows the festival’s broad appeal, attracting not just young people but also older, established, and affluent families.
In addition to being wealthier, Lollapalooza attendees had a distinctly different lifestyle profile. Compared to both the 12-month and summer averages, visitors were more likely to be married couples and to enjoy wine and good coffee. Notably, the share of visitors who worked from home increased to 18.7% during the festival, compared to a 17.0% summertime benchmark. These lifestyle markers signal a premium, high-value consumer that presents an ideal audience for local businesses and sponsors looking to create targeted on-site experiences, from specialized pop-up cafes to wine-tasting events.
Overall, these findings highlight Lollapalooza’s potent role in supercharging Chicago’s tourism sector. Beyond the simple boost in overall visitor numbers, the festival draws a more affluent and distinctive demographic than the typical summer crowd – making it a powerful economic engine for the city.
For more data-driven insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
For many Americans, Walmart functions as a grocer and essential-goods provider. Target’s competitive advantage, meanwhile, lies in higher-margin discretionary categories – stylish home goods, affordable fashion, and exclusive brand collaborations. In the face of ongoing macroeconomic pressures, both retailers are adopting elements of each other’s approaches: Walmart is seeking to elevate its image and expand discretionary offerings through a rebrand, while Target is ramping up its focus on essentials. But Q2 2025 location intelligence data reveals that the two brands’ immediate challenges remain distinctly different.
Walmart has been thriving in recent months, exceeding analyst expectations with solid sales growth driven largely by a profitable e-commerce segment. Last quarter (ending April 30th, 2025), Walmart U.S. posted comparable sales growth (excluding fuel) of +4.5%, with e-commerce contributing approximately 3.5 percentage points to that growth. And in June 2025, the company built on this momentum with the debut of its “Walmart, Who Knew” campaign – part of a strategic rebranding highlighting expanded, premium product offerings alongside enhanced e-commerce capabilities – such as one-hour express delivery and an online marketplace of over half a billion items.
Against this backdrop, Walmart’s stable YoY foot traffic – hovering between +0.8% and -1.6% monthly May through July – is a powerful signal of its continued strength. The data validates the company’s omnichannel strategy, indicating an ability to grow its digital business without materially sacrificing its foundational in-store visitor base.
In contrast, Target has faced meaningful challenges, with YoY same-store visit gaps ranging from 2.2% to 9.7% since February 2025. Like Walmart, Target’s online growth has been a bright spot – last quarter, the company reported a 4.7% increase in digital comp sales, aided by more than 35% growth in same-day delivery. But this was not enough to offset a 5.7% decline in in-store comp sales. And though consumer reactions to Target’s recent policy updates do appear to have contributed to the retailer’s softening YoY performance, persistent challenges point to a more fundamental shift in consumer preferences amid discretionary cutbacks.
Both Walmart and Target are borrowing elements of each other’s playbooks. But consumer visitation data shows that while Walmart and Target can learn from each other, they service fundamentally different shopping missions.
Walmart’s vast scale and extensive grocery selection make it a prime destination for habitual, necessity-driven shopping. Between May and July 2025, about 34.0% of shoppers visited Walmart at least four times a month. Target’s 14% frequent visitor share, on the other hand, reflects its role as a more occasional destination centered on discovery-led shopping experiences – such as its successful Kate Spade collaboration, hailed by the company as the most successful design collab in a decade. While strengthening essentials plays to the current economic climate and likely contributed to the modest increase in Target’s frequent visitors over the past year, the retailer’s future success depends on sharpening – not blurring – its core strengths.
Walmart’s foot traffic stability combined with proven ecommerce growth positions it well to continue outperforming, especially as consumer caution favors essentials and convenience. Furthermore, the retailer’s rebranding and push into broader, discretionary categories may help attract higher-income consumers who are trading down.
Target, for its part, faces a more difficult strategic balancing act in the months ahead. Augmenting its offerings with compelling essentials will be critical. But as demonstrated by the strong performance of retailers like Five Below and T.J. Maxx, there still exists a healthy market for discretionary treasure hunting. Ultimately, Target’s ability to reignite growth will depend on its success in rejuvenating its competitive edge in the discretionary market – a task likely to be further complicated by anticipated tariffs.
For more data-driven retail insights, follow Placer.ai/anchor.
The office recovery is back in full swing. Major employers such as Samsung, Google, and Starbucks have tightened return-to-office (RTO) policies in recent months. And though hybrid work remains prevalent across industries, Q2 2025 saw a majority of Fortune 100 employees subject to full-time in-office mandates – up from just 5.0% in Q2 2023.
In June, accumulating RTO mandates helped shrink the post-pandemic office visit gap to 27.4% compared to the same period in 2019. And July 2025 set a new record for office attendance, with visits down just 21.8% relative to July 2019 (both Julys had 22 working days) – making it the single busiest in-office month since COVID.
Stark regional differences remain, however, between major business hubs nationwide. New York City, where many employees are subject to the stricter in-office requirements of the finance world, saw positive (+1.3%) year-over-six-year (Yo6Y) office foot traffic growth in July 2025 – a first since Placer.ai began tracking these trends. Miami, which has developed a thriving financial sector of its own, followed closely behind, effectively closing its visit gap with a 0.1% lag.
Atlanta and Dallas also made considerable headway – both markets saw visit gaps dip below 20% compared to 2019. Meanwhile, Denver – an emerging hub for tech startups and one of the most remote-friendly labor markets in the U.S. – took up the rear, while San Francisco inched up two notches in the rankings, beating out both Denver and Los Angeles.
Indeed, San Francisco appears to be in the midst of a major revival, with rising rents, improving public sentiment, and waves of new restaurant, retail, and small business openings breathing fresh life into a city once dismissed as stuck in a “doom loop”. And in July 2025, the City by the Bay once again topped the year-over-year (YoY) office recovery charts, outpacing all other analyzed hubs with remarkable 21.6% visit growth – more tangible evidence of the progress San Francisco continues to make.
If past experience is any guide, the road to office recovery will continue to be anything but linear. RTO policies remain far from uniform, and hybrid work continues to serve as a key baseline for many organizations. Still, July 2025 seems to mark a meaningful RTO tipping point, with numerous markets making substantial progress toward pre‐COVID office foot traffic levels.
Follow Placer.ai/anchor for more office visitation insights.
Same-store visit growth at TJX chains in recent months exceeded the company's official guidance of 2-3% same-store sales growth for Q2 FY26 (May 4 - August 2, 2025), aligning with analyst expectations for an earnings beat.
The largest growth in same-store visits went to HomeGoods, which continues to be a key growth engine for TJX, with its outperformance stemming from a multi-faceted competitive edge. Its consistent lead over the core apparel banners, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, may be due to its more defensible position in the less-crowded off-price home category. And when compared to its sister brand, Homesense, HomeGoods' superior performance may be attributed to its significant brand maturity and a merchandise mix centered on higher-frequency, smaller-ticket items. This positions the banner effectively to capture discretionary spending from consumers seeking affordable indulgences in the current economic environment.
All banners experienced YoY growth in overall traffic, but the strongest growth went to the latest newest additions to the company's U.S. portfolio – Homesense and Sierra, suggesting that both brands have a long runway for unit potential.
Sierra is engineered to capture a significant share of the lucrative outdoor and active lifestyle market, a space that critically lacks a dominant, national, off-price competitor, giving it a clearer and more defensible runway for explosive growth. In contrast, while Homesense plays the vital role of deepening TJX's penetration in the home category with larger-scale items like furniture, it enters a more contested field and must contend with established competition from other discount and value-oriented furniture retailers.
Both expansions are ultimately underpinned by TJX's core competency: leveraging its world-class buying organization and real estate expertise to dominate new off-price segments and capture a larger share of total consumer discretionary spending.
This push into new product categories is happening in parallel with a push into new markets. Year-over-year analysis reveals TJX has systematically expanded its rural and semi-rural household penetration across all banners – aligning with management's stated focus on "smaller markets and smaller footprint stores" as identified growth opportunities. With TJX planning around 130 net new stores in 2025, this rural expansion strategy provides a credible pathway for continued domestic growth in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
The information, data, analyses and opinions presented herein do not constitute investment advice; are provided solely for informational purposes and therefore are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. By means of this publication, Placer Labs Inc. (“Placer”) is not rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor.
Placer shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication. The opinions and data presented are as of the date written and are subject to change without notice. The information contained herein is the proprietary property of Placer and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, or used in any manner, without the prior written consent of Placer.
1. Elevated visitor frequency could mean that gym-goers are getting more value out of their memberships and are therefore more likely to stay signed up. Between January and March 2025, all of the gym chains analyzed had a higher share of frequent visitors (those who visited about once a week) than in the equivalent month of 2024.
2. Fitness chains at all price tiers need to be strategic about the value they offer and the amenities that can engage budget-conscious consumers. Between Q1 2022 and Q1 2025, the captured trade area median HHI increased for all fitness subsegments – value-priced, mid-range, and high-end – suggesting that consumers swapped pricier gym memberships for more affordable options.
3. Close attention should be paid to how long visitors spend at fitness chains in order to reduce crowding and bottlenecks. Between Q1 2022 and Q1 2025, the average visit length increased at value-priced, mid-range, and high-end gyms. Floorplan and equipment improvements could be considered, as well as having trainers available to help gym-goers streamline workouts.
4. Gyms can use hourly visit data to better serve their members or use promotions to stabilize facility usage throughout the day. In Q1 2025, high-end chains received a larger share of morning visits while value-priced and mid-range fitness chains received larger shares of evening visits.
Like many industries in recent years, the fitness sector has experienced significant shifts in consumer behavior. From the rise in home workouts during the pandemic to the strain of hyper-inflation, foot traffic trends to gyms and health clubs have been as dynamic as the consumers they serve.
This report leverages location analytics to explore the consumer trends driving visitation in the fitness space and provides actionable insights for industry stakeholders.
The pandemic drove several shifts in the fitness space. Widespread gym closures led consumers to embrace home-based workouts, while demand for all things fitness increased due to an emphasis on overall health and wellness. This subsequently drove a renewed interest in gym-based workouts as restrictions lifted – even as some consumers remained committed to their home workout routines.
In Q1 2023, visits to fitness chains surpassed Q1 2019 levels for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, a sign that consumers had recommitted to out-of-home fitness. And in Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, fitness chains saw further growth, climbing to 12.8% and 15.5% above the Q1 2019 baseline, respectively.
Several factors have likely driven consumers’ return to gyms and health clubs, including the desire for both social connection and professional-grade facilities difficult to replicate at home. The steep increase in cost of living has likely also played a role, since consumers cutting back on discretionary spending can enjoy multiple outings and a range of recreational activities at the gym for one monthly fee.
Zooming in on weekly visits to the fitness space in Q1 2025 reveals the industry’s exceptional strength and resilience in the early part of the year.
The fitness industry experienced YoY visit growth nearly every week of Q1 2025 (and 2.4% YoY visit growth overall) with only minor visit gaps the weeks of January 20th, 2025 and February 17th, 2025 – likely due to extreme weather that prevented many Americans from hitting the gym.
And the fitness industry’s weekly visit growth appeared to strengthen throughout the quarter, defying the typical waning of New Year's resolutions. This could indicate that gym visits haven't plateaued and that consumers are demonstrating greater commitment to their fitness routines compared to last year.
Diving into visitation patterns for leading fitness chains highlights how increased visitor frequency drove foot traffic growth in Q1 2025.
Fitness chains tend to receive the most visits during the first months of the year as consumers recommit to health and wellness in their post-holidays New Year’s resolutions. And not only do more people hit the gym – analyzing the data reveals that gym-goers also typically work out more frequently during this period. Zooming in on 2025 so far suggests that consumers are especially committed to their fitness routines this year: Leading gyms saw an increase in the proportion of frequent visitors (4+ times a month) in Q1 2025 compared to the already significant percentage of frequent visitors in the first quarter of 2024.
Elevated visitor frequency could mean that gym-goers are getting more value out of their memberships than last year, and are therefore more likely to stay signed up throughout the year.
At the same time, the data also reveals that – contrary to what may be expected – a fitness chain’s share of frequent visitors appears to be independent of the cost of membership associated with the club: Life Time, a high-end club, and EōS Fitness, a value-priced gym, had the highest shares of frequent visitors between January 2024 and March 2025. This suggests that factors other than cost, such as location convenience, class offerings, community, or individual motivation, might be more influential in driving frequent gym attendance.
Segmenting the fitness industry by membership price tiers – value-priced, mid-range, and high-end – can reveal further insights on current consumer behavior around out-of-home fitness.
In Q1 2025, the captured market* median household income (HHI) was higher than the nationwide median HHI ($79.6K/year) across all price tiers – suggesting that even value-priced fitness chains are attracting a relatively affluent audience. This could indicate that gym memberships are somewhat of a luxury and that consumers from lower-income households gave up their gym memberships altogether as they tightened their purse strings.
Analyzing the historical data since Q1 2022 also reveals that the captured market median HHI has risen consistently over the past couple of years with the largest median HHI increase observed in the captured trade areas of high-end fitness chains. This suggests that middle-income households – that are more sensitive to the rising cost of living – likely swapped pricier gym memberships for more affordable options in recent years.
These metrics indicate that fitness chains at all price tiers need to think strategically about the value they offer and the amenities that can engage budget-conscious consumers who are carefully weighing every expenditure.
*Captured trade area is obtained by weighting the census block groups (CBGs) from which the chain draws its visitors according to their share of visits to the chain and thus reflects the population that visits the chain in practice.
Fitness clubs of all types need to manage their capacity to ensure health and safety standards and a positive experience for members. And understanding the average amount of time visitors spend at the gym can help fitness chains at every price point keep their finger on the pulse of their facilities.
Between Q1 2022 and Q1 2025, the average visit length increased at value-priced, mid-range, and high-end gyms. Value-priced gyms experienced the largest increase in average visit length – from 72.4 minutes in Q1 2022 to 74.0 minutes in Q1 2025 – perhaps due to their relatively lower-income visitors spending more time enjoying club amenities after cutting back on other forms of recreation. Meanwhile, mid-range and high-end gyms experienced relatively modest increases in average visit length, which were higher to begin with – likely due to their ample class and spa offerings and overall inviting, upscale spaces.
Elevated average visit length could mean that visitors are well-engaged and less likely to cancel their memberships. But as overall gym visits are on the rise, fitness chains may want to pay close attention to how long visitors spend at the facility. Floorplan and equipment improvements could be considered in order to reduce bottlenecks, and having trainers available to instruct on equipment usage and workout technique could help gym-goers streamline workouts.
Along with average visit length, understanding the daypart in which they receive the most visits is another way that fitness chains can improve efficiency and prevent overcrowding. And analysis of the hourly visits to fitness sub-segments revealed that some fitness segments receive more morning visits while others are more popular in the evenings.
In Q1 2025, high-end chains received a larger share of visits between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. (19.7%) than value-priced and mid-range fitness chains (11.6% and 11.8%, respectively). Meanwhile, value-priced and mid-range fitness chains received larger shares of visits between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (21.9% and 22.2%) than high-end chains (16.5%).
Gyms can leverage this data to better serve members, for instance by scheduling more classes during peak hours. Value-priced and mid-range gyms, which saw a larger disparity between shares of morning and evening visits in Q1 2025, might also consider incentivizing off-peak usage through discounted morning memberships or early-bird snack bar deals.
The fitness space appears to be in good shape in 2025. Visits have made a full recovery from the pandemic era and still continue to grow, indicating strong consumer demand for out-of-home workouts. And using location intelligence to analyze the behavior and demographics of visitors to gyms at different price points can help identify opportunities for driving even greater success.
1. Idaho and South Carolina have emerged as significant domestic migration magnets over the past four years. Between January 2021 and 2025, both states gained over 3.0% of their populations through domestic migration. Other Mountain and Sun Belt states – including Nevada, Montana, and Florida – also drew significant inflow, while California, New York, and Illinois experienced the greatest outmigration.
2. Interstate migration cooled noticeably in 2024. During the 12-month period ending January 2025, California, New York and Illinois saw their outflows slow dramatically, while domestic migration hotspots like Georgia, Texas, and Florida saw inflows flatten to zero. A similar cooling trend emerged on a CBSA level.
3. Still, some states continued to see notable relocation activity over the past year. In 2024, Idaho, South Carolina, and North Dakota drew the most relocators relative to their populations. And among the nation’s ten largest states, North Carolina led with an inflow of 0.4%.
4. Phoenix remained a rare bright spot among the nation’s ten largest metro areas. The CBSA was the only major analyzed hub to maintain positive net domestic migration through 2024.
Over the past several years, the United States has experienced significant domestic migration shifts, driven by factors like remote work, housing affordability, and regional economic opportunities. As some areas reap the benefits of population inflows, others grapple with outflows tied to higher living costs and evolving workplace dynamics.
This report dives into the location analytics to explore where Americans have moved since 2021 – and how these patterns began to change in 2024.
Since 2021, Americans have flocked toward warmer climates, expansive natural scenery, and more affordable housing options – particularly in the Mountain and Sun Belt states.
Between January 2021 and January 2025, South Carolina led the nation in positive net domestic migration – drawing an influx of newcomers equivalent to 3.6% of its January 2025 population. (This metric is referred to as a state’s “net migrated percent of population.”) Next in line was Idaho with a 3.4% net migrated percent of population, followed by Nevada, (2.8%), Montana (2.8%), Florida (2.1%), South Dakota (2.1%), Wyoming (2.0%), North Carolina (2.0%), and Tennessee (1.9%). Texas saw positive net migration of just 0.9% during the same period. However, the Lone Star State’s large overall population means a substantial number of newcomers in absolute terms.
Meanwhile, California (-2.2%), New York (-2.1%), and Illinois (-1.9%) experienced the greatest outflows relative to their populations. This exodus was driven largely by soaring housing costs and the rise of remote work, which lowered barriers to moving out of high-priced areas.
Between January 2024 and January 2025, many of the same broad patterns persisted, but at a more moderate clip – suggesting a stabilization of domestic migration nationwide. This leveling off could reflect factors such as rising mortgage interest rates, which dampened home buying and selling, as well as the increased push for employees to return to the office.
Still, South Carolina (+0.6%) and Idaho (+0.6%) remained among the top inflow states. The two hotspots were joined – and slightly surpassed – by North Dakota (+0.8%), where even modest waves of newcomers make a big impact due to the state’s lower population base. A wealth of affordable housing and a strong job market have positioned North Dakota as a particularly attractive destination for U.S. relocators in recent years. And Microsoft and Amazon’s establishment of major presences around Fargo has strengthened the region’s economy.
Meanwhile, California (-0.3%), New York (-0.2%), and Illinois (-0.1%) continued to post negative net migration, but at a markedly slower rate than in prior years. And notably, several states that had been struggling with outflow, such as Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, Ohio, and Oregon, began showing minor positive inflow during the same 12-month window. As home affordability erodes in pandemic-era hot spots like the Mountain states and Sun Belt, these areas may emerge as new destinations for Americans seeking lower costs of living.
Zooming in on the ten most populous U.S. states offers an even clearer picture of how domestic migration patterns have stabilized over the past year. The graph below shows a side-by-side comparison of domestic migration patterns during the 36-month period ending January 2024 and the 12-month period ending January 2025.
California, New York, and Illinois saw population outflows slow dramatically during the 12 months ending January 2025 – while domestic migration magnets such as Georgia, Texas, and Florida saw inflow flatten to zero. Meanwhile, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania flipped from slightly negative to slightly positive net migration – incremental upticks that could signal a possible turnaround.
The only “Big Ten” pandemic-era migration magnet to maintain strong inflow in 2024 was North Carolina – which saw a 0.4% influx in 2024 as a result of interstate moves.
A closer look at the top four states receiving outmigration from California and New York (October 2020 to October 2024) reveals that residents leaving both states tended to settle in nearby areas or in Florida.
Among those leaving New York, 37.4% ended up in neighboring states – 21.1% moved to New Jersey, 9.2% to Pennsylvania, and 7.1% to Connecticut. But an astonishing 28.8% decamped all the way to the Sunshine State, trading the Northeast’s colder climate for Florida sunshine.
Similarly, 20.1% of California leavers chose to stay nearby, moving to Nevada (11.5%) or Arizona (8.6%). Another 19.1% moved to Texas, and 8.0% moved to Florida, making it the fourth-largest destination for Californians.
Zooming in on CBSA-level data – focusing on the nation’s ten largest metropolitan areas, all with over five million people – reveals a similar picture of slowing domestic migration over the last year.
Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. – four cities that experienced notable population outflows between January 2021 and January 2024 – saw those outflows flatten considerably. For these metros, this leveling-off may serve as a promising sign that the waves of departures seen in recent years may have begun to subside. Conversely, Houston and Dallas, which both welcomed positive net migration between January 2021 and January 2024, registered zero-net domestic migration in 2024. Atlanta, for its part, remained flat in both of the analyzed periods.
In Miami, however, outmigration persisted at a substantial rate. Despite Florida’s overall status as a domestic migration magnet, Miami lost 2.6% of its population to domestic net migration between January 2020 and January 2024 – and another 1.0% between January 2024 and January 2025. As one of Florida’s most expensive housing markets, Miami may be losing some residents to other parts of the state or elsewhere in the region. Meanwhile, Philadelphia, which lost 0.3% of its population to net domestic migration between January 2021 and January 2024, continued losing residents at a slightly faster pace in 2024 – another 0.3% just last year.
Of the ten biggest CBSAs nationwide, only Phoenix continued to see a net domestic migration gain through 2024 (+0.2%). This highlights the CBSA’s continued draw as a (relative) relocation hotspot even in 2024’s cooling market.
Who are the domestic relocators heading to Phoenix?
From October 2020 to October 2024, the top five metro areas sending residents to the Phoenix CBSA each registered median household incomes (HHIs) of $73K to $98K – surpassing Phoenix’s own median of $72K. This suggests that many of those moving in are arriving from wealthier, often more expensive metro areas – for whom even Phoenix’s high-priced market may offer more affordable living.
Overall, domestic migration patterns appear to have cooled in 2024, reflecting economic and societal trends that have slowed the rush from pricey coastal hubs to more affordable regions. Yet states like South Carolina, Idaho, and North Dakota – as well as metro areas like Phoenix – continue to attract new arrivals, paving the way for evolving regional demographics in the years to come.
In today’s retail landscape, consumer behavior is influenced by a multitude of factors, directly impacting the success of products and brands. This report explores the latest trends in value perception, shopping behavior, and media consumption that impact which brands consumers are most likely to engage with – and how.
In the apparel space, consumers continue to prioritize value and unique merchandise.
Analysis of visits to various apparel categories reveals a steady increase in the share of visits going to off-price retailers and thrift stores at the expense of traditional apparel chains.
And the popularity of off-price chains and thrift stores appears to be widespread across multiple audience segments. Analyzing trade area data with the Experian: Mosaic psychographic dataset reveals a clear preference for second-hand retailers among both younger (ages 25-30) and older (51+) consumer segments. Meanwhile, middle-class parents aged 36-45 with teenagers – the “Family Union” segment – are significantly more likely to shop at off-price apparel stores, highlighting their emphasis on buying new, while saving both time and money.
This suggests that the powerful blend of treasure-hunting and deep value, central to both the off-price and thrift experiences, is driving traffic from a variety of audiences, and that other industries could benefit from combining affordability with the allure of unique products.
Diving deeper into the location intelligence for the apparel space further highlights thrift and off-price’s broad appeal – and that a combination of quality and price motivates consumers to visit different retailers.
Between 2019 and 2024, the share of Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom visitors that also visited a Goodwill or Ross Dress for Less increased significantly.
And while this could mean that the current economic climate is causing some higher-income consumers to trade down to lower-priced retailers, it could also be that consumers are prioritizing sustainability and seeking value in terms of “bang for their buck” – shopping a combination of retailers depending on the cost versus quality considerations for each purchase.
Consumers increasingly expect to shop on their own terms, opting for a more flexible shopping experience that blurs the lines between traditional retail channels and categories.
Superstores and warehouse stores, for example, often evoke the image of navigating aisle after aisle of nearly every product imaginable – a time-consuming endeavor given the sheer size of their stores. But the latest location intelligence shows that more consumers are turning to these retailers for super-quick shopping trips.
Between 2019 and 2024, the share of visits lasting less than ten minutes at Target, Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club, and to a lesser extent Costco, rose steadily – perhaps due to increased use of flexible BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in-store) and curbside pick-up options. These stores may also be seeing a rise in consumers popping in to grab just a few items as-needed or to cherry-pick particular deals to complement their larger online shopping orders.
This trend highlights the demand for frictionless store experiences that allow visitors to conveniently shop or pick up orders even at large physical retailers.
And the breaking down of traditional retail silos isn’t limited to big-box chains. Diving into the data for quick service restaurants (QSR), fast casual chains, and grocery stores indicates that more consumers are also looking for new ways to grab a convenient bite.
Since 2019, grocery stores have been claiming an increasingly large share of the midday short visit pie – i.e. visits between 11:00 AM 3:00 PM lasting less than ten minutes – at the expense of QSR chains. This suggests that consumers seeking quick and affordable lunches are increasingly turning to grocery stores to pick up a few items or take advantage of self-service food bars. Notably, the rise in supermarket lunching hasn’t come at the expense of fast-casual restaurants, which have also upped their quick-service games – and have seen a small increase in their share of the quick lunchtime crowd over the past five years.
While some of QSR’s relative decline in short lunchtime visits could be due to discontent with rising fast-food prices, it’s clear that an increasing share of consumers see grocery and fast-casual chains as viable options during the lunch rush.
In 2025, tapping into hot trends and creating viral moments are among the most powerful tools for amplifying promotions and driving foot traffic to physical stores.
Retailers across categories have successfully harnessed the power of pop culture collaborations to generate excitement – and visits – by leaning into trending themes. On October 8th, 2024, for example, Wendy’s launched its epic Krabby Patty Collab, inspired by the beloved SpongeBob franchise. And during the week of the offering, the chain experienced a remarkable 21.5% increase in foot traffic compared to an average week that year.
Similarly, Crumbl – adept at creating buzz through manufactured scarcity – sparked a frenzy with the debut of its exclusive Olivia Rodrigo GUTS cookie. Initially available only at select locations near the artist’s concert venues, the cookie was launched nationwide for a limited time from August 19th to 24th, 2024. This buzz-driven release resulted in a 27.7% traffic surge during the week of the launch, as fans rushed to get a taste of the star-studded treat.
And it’s not just dining chains benefiting from these pop-culture moments. On February 16th, 2025, Bath & Body Works launched a Disney Princess-inspired fragrance line, perfect for fans of Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Moana, and Tiana. The collaboration resonated, fueling a 23.2% visit spike for the chain.
While tapping into existing pop-culture trends has the ability to drive traffic, so does creating a new one. Analysis of movie theater visits on National Popcorn Day (Sunday, January 19th, 2025) shows how initiating a trend can spur social media engagement and impact in-person traffic to physical retail spaces.
National Popcorn Day was a successful promotional holiday across the movie theater industry in 2025. Both Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres offered popcorn-based promotions on the day, but Cinemark’s “Bring Your Own Bucket” campaign, in particular, appears to have spurred a significant foot traffic boost during the event.
Visits to Cinemark on National Popcorn Day in 2025 increased 57.5% relative to the Sunday visit average for January and February 2025, as movie-goers showed off their out-of-the-bucket popcorn receptacles on social media. Clearly, by starting a trend that invited creativity and expression, Cinemark was able to amplify the impact of its National Popcorn Day promotion.
Location intelligence illuminates some of the key trends shaping consumer behavior in 2025. The data reveals that value-driven shopping, demand for flexibility across touchpoints, and the power of unique retail moments have the power to drive consumer engagement and the success of retail categories, brands, and products.
