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As new retail construction slows, the trend of repurposing underperforming malls is accelerating, offering exciting opportunities to transform these properties into vibrant mixed-use developments. By blending retail, lifestyle, entertainment, and essential services, these redevelopments can better serve the evolving needs of today’s consumers. Class B malls offer significant potential for investors and retailers to unlock value while meeting the needs of local communities.
According to Green Street, there are 250 Class-B malls in the U.S., making up 28% of all U.S. malls. These properties are typically located in suburban or secondary markets and often feature a mid-tier tenant mix of national and regional retailers within a traditional enclosed mall format. According to Green Street data, A-rated malls boast an impressive 95% occupancy rate, while B malls sit at 89%. Meanwhile, occupancy drops significantly to 72% for C-rated malls and below.
B Malls face a number of challenges in addition to their higher vacancy rates, including lower sales per square foot, less desirable locations, outdated designs, and competition from newer lifestyle centers that offer a more dynamic mix of retail, dining, and entertainment.
Class-B malls, despite their challenges, offer a compelling opportunity for adaptive reuse. Often priced below their original value, these properties are ideal for redevelopment into community-centric hubs, featuring a mix of residential, retail, and public spaces. Reimagining these spaces not only allows investors and developers to achieve significant returns, but also fosters positive economic growth in local communities. For retailers, these revitalized spaces offer the chance to thrive in environments with increasing foot traffic and elevated customer engagement.
Hawthorn Mall, a premier two-story super-regional shopping center in Vernon Hills, Illinois, is one B Mall currently undergoing a significant transformation – and early data suggests that the revitalization efforts are already bearing fruit.
Owned by Centennial Real Estate, Hawthorn is strategically positioned at the intersection of Lake County’s key thoroughfares, offering exceptional convenience and accessibility. The center is anchored by major brands like AMC, Dave & Buster’s, JCPenney, and Macy’s, with a diverse mix of more than 60 retailers and restaurants, including Anthropologie, FP Movement, H&M, Lovesac, PGA Tour Superstore, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, and Pure Barre. Now, in the midst of redevelopment, Hawthorn is evolving into a vibrant mixed-use community, integrating luxury residential, expanded retail and dining, and pedestrian-friendly spaces.
Although the Hawthorn Mall redevelopment is still under way, visit quality to the mall has already improved – with the median visit duration rising from 54 minutes between April 2022 and March 2023 to 61 minutes between April 2024 and March 2025. The median household income in Hawthorn’s captured market has increased as well, perhaps thanks to the addition of a luxury apartment complex on the mall’s property. Lastly, the share of evenings visits also grew, suggesting that Hawthorn's revamped dining and entertainment are making it an increasingly popular evening destination for locals.
Class-B malls represent a unique opportunity to meet both market demands and community needs through thoughtful redevelopment. While challenges such as securing financing, navigating zoning and regulatory hurdles, and managing costs exist, the potential rewards are significant. Successful redevelopment requires targeted tenant curation, strategic location, and a bold, forward-thinking vision. With expansive footprints, prime access, and adaptability, Class-B malls are perfectly positioned to evolve into dynamic, mixed-use centers – redefining retail experiences and meeting the needs of modern consumers and communities.
Traffic to First Watch continues to climb as the company forges on with its expansion. Visits to the chain were 7.3% higher year-over-year (YoY) in Q1 2025 as visits per location held essentially steady (-0.8% YoY) – revealing that demand for the breakfast, brunch, and lunch dining concept remains robust despite the consumer headwinds.
And according to the latest monthly data, First Watch may be in even better shape than its already strong Q1 2024 visit numbers suggest. In April 2025, overall visits to the chain grew 10.5% YoY while visits per location increased by 3.0% – indicating that the morning and afternoon-focused dining brand likely still has more room to grow.
For more data-driven consumer analysis, visit placer.ai/anchor.
While Warby Parker and Allbirds both originated as direct-to-consumer brands, they have since firmly established themselves as brick-and-mortar retailers. Warby Parker, known for its quirky and affordable approach to eyecare, has around 270 stores in the United States, while Allbirds, which recently underwent a significant rightsizing process, currently operates 24 stores across the country.
We took a look at the visit data for the two retailers to explore how they are faring thus far in 2025.
Warby Parker continues to impress. The eyewear chain, which transitioned from an online-only model to physical stores in 2013, spent 2024 adding stores to its current fleet – and visit data highlights the positive impact of this expansion.
Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 visits to Warby Parker were 13.4% and 6.6% higher, respectively, than in Q4 2023 and Q1 2024. Average visits per location, too, showed growth in Q4 2024 (+4.9%), though they slowed slightly in Q1 2025. Still, Warby Parker’s ability to drive visit growth while keeping average visits per location stable suggests that its expansions are meeting with consistent demand.
Weekly visits from 2025 onward highlight the brands’ strong positioning, with YoY visit growth in most analyzed weeks. (The significant YoY visit decline during the weeks of March 31st and April 7th is likely due to the comparison with last year’s major eclipse-related promotion, during which the chain offered free solar eclipse glasses.)
Shoewear company Allbirds has been charting a new performance course over the last year. The chain, known for its sustainable approach to footwear, recently closed nearly a third of its U.S. fleet in an attempt to optimize its stateside operations. And this consolidation, which allows Allbirds to prioritize top-performing locations, has yielded promising results for the chain.
While YoY visits were down across all analyzed months – an anticipated outcome given the significant reduction in store count – average visits per location, a more relevant indicator of Allbirds’ performance, were up on a near-constant basis. In Q1 2025, visits declined by 35.8% YoY, but visits per location grew by 14.1%.
Monthly visits followed a similar pattern: while overall visits declined by 25.9% YoY in March 2025, visits per location were up by 23.8%. This positive trend continued into April 2025, with overall visits down by just 9.2% YoY and visits per location remaining elevated at 21.0%, suggesting a strengthened performance at the remaining Allbirds stores.
This focus on a more efficient store footprint seems to be paying off for Allbirds, allowing the chain to accurately target its most receptive audience while cutting out underperforming locations.
Warby Parker and Allbirds are performing well, highlighting the importance of remaining agile and pivoting to meet evolving consumer challenges.
Will the two retailers continue to thrive?
Visit Placer.ai to keep up with the latest data-driven retail news.
Some moments in our lives remain ingrained in our heads. One such time period was March of 2020, when it felt like the world suddenly stood still as malls, street retail, and dining establishments closed, everyone masked up, and only essential retail and health services continued. After a while, limitations relaxed, but not without a subconscious preference for open-air shopping centers that appears to linger to this day. Granted, many open-air shopping centers are also newer or redeveloped, thus likely contributing to their popularity. However, there’s no doubt that they’ve rebounded at a higher rate compared to their indoor mall and even outlet mall counterparts.
We analyzed traffic data for one of the most-visited open-air shopping centers in the nation, Victoria Gardens, to see what sets it apart and what continues to draw consumers to open-air centers.
This open-air shopping center is over 1.1 million square feet and hosts over 160 retailers within its borders. In addition to marquee brands such as Apple, lululemon, AMC Theatres, and Cheesecake Factory, it also has regional favorites such as Seven Grams dumpling house and cult-favorite Duck Donuts. Boasting a 160 acre main street community, its walkable layout beckons while classics play in the background. Quite a few of the concepts at Victoria Gardens are on trend. For instance, the Food Hall features local eatery Elephant Thai, which is perfectly in keeping with the popularity of all things Thai these days with Season 3 of White Lotus being set in Koh Samui.
Another genre that one doesn’t often see in more urban mall locations are two retailers devoted to Western wear – Buckle and Tecovas.
Tecovas has a fascinating backstory with its founder, Paul Hedrick, partnering initially with bootmakers from Leon, Mexico, the “boot-making capital of the Americas” and selling his first pairs from the backseat of his SUV. With an average dwell time of 40 minutes between April 2024 and February 2025 and holiday spikes for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s clear that for many shoppers, a pair of Tecova boots are on their wishlist.
One of the more unique aspects of this mall is its Cultural Center on premise. With a performing arts theater, library, and interactive children’s museum right next to retail, dining, and a movie theater, it’s truly a one-stop shop for its community.
As shopping centers continue to evolve, with many adopting a Town Square approach, the appeal of open-air shopping centers – full of public spaces, greenery, walkable paths, and fresh air – will only continue to grow.
For more data-driven consumer insights, visit placer.ai/anchor
Aldi and Lidl have firmly established themselves as discount powerhouses. The two German retailers entered the United States market at different times, with Aldi opening its first location in 1976 and Lidl making its way stateside in 2017 – and diving into the foot traffic shows that both are thriving.
In the first quarter of 2025, visits to Aldi and Lidl saw significant year-over-year (YoY) increases of 8.9% and 4.2%, respectively – well above the industry-wide average (0.9%.)
Aldi, which has been on an expansion tear for the past few years, saw a YoY increase in average visits per location – but so did Lidl, which has been slower to add new locations. And this growth – 4.7% at Aldi and 1.9% at Lidl – highlights that their stores, whether new locations or already-existing ones, are driving sustained demand.
A closer look at visitor behavior offers valuable insights into the factors driving the foot traffic success of Aldi and Lidl.
A significantly larger proportion of Aldi and Lidl's visits – 37.2% and 37.7%, respectively – took place on Saturdays and Sundays compared to visits to traditional and value grocery stores. This suggests that the attractive price points offered by Aldi and Lidl position them as prime destinations for shoppers making weekend stock-up trips.
On a chain level, both Aldi and Lidl are finding their own paths to success. Aldi is currently undergoing a significant growth phase, aiming to operate 800 stores by the end of 2028. This ambitious trajectory includes adding at least 225 new locations in 2025 alone – and examining the visit distribution across Aldi's largest markets provides valuable insights into how its strategy is unfolding. Contextualizing Aldi’s performance against the wider grocery segment provides a birds-eye view of the value grocer’s performance.
Over the past few years, Aldi has consistently increased its visit share when compared to the overall grocery segment, both nationally and across its major markets. For instance, in Florida, one of Aldi’s largest markets, its visit share grew from 4.8% in Q1 2022 to 7.0% in Q1 2025. And in Illinois, now its second-largest market, Aldi increased its visit share from 12.2% to 14.8% over the same period.
This consistent growth in visit share underscores the broad appeal of Aldi's value proposition to shoppers across the country, suggesting that its ambitious expansion plans are likely to be well-received by consumers.
Lidl also plans to grow its store count, though at a more modest pace than Aldi. And the chain is focusing on its already-existing markets in hopes of entrenching itself further in areas where it already has strong brand recognition.
Geographic segmentation data from the Esri: Tapestry Segmentation dataset within Lidl’s potential and captured markets reveals promising insights into where the retailer might find its most receptive audiences. In its potential market – calculated by weighting each Census Block Group (CBG) within Lidl’s trade area according to population size – the share of visitors from "Suburban Periphery" areas was 41.5%. However, in its captured market, determined by weighting each CBG according to its share of actual visits to Lidl – so better representing its current visitor profile – this suburban segment constitutes a significantly larger 56.4%. Conversely, the proportion of visitors originating from "Principal Urban Centers" and "Metro Cities" was higher in Lidl’s potential market compared to its captured market.
These metrics strongly suggest that Lidl has more demand in the suburbs than it may realize – and as it expands, focusing on these areas might prove to be a winning strategy for the chain.
Aldi and Lidl are thriving, growing their audiences during a challenging economic climate.
Will visits to the two chains continue to increase throughout 2025? Visit Placer.ai to keep up with the latest data-driven grocery insights.
Amid rising housing costs and shifting consumer lifestyles, self-storage has emerged as a go-to solution for many Americans. We dove into the data to take the pulse of the market in Q1 2025 – and uncover the audience segments behind the industry’s ongoing growth.
Visits to leading self-storage companies have been on a steady growth trajectory since 2019. During the pandemic, storage utilization surged as many Americans relocated or stored items to free up space for home offices or DIY projects. Since then, high prices and interest rates appear to have further fueled demand, with some households likely deferring space-adding renovations or larger home purchases.
In Q1 2025, visits to Public Storage and CubeSmart were up 24.7% and 30.7%, respectively, compared to a Q1 2019 baseline. Extra Space Storage – which substantially expanded its unit count following its 2023 acquisition of Life Storage – saw visits surge 98.3% over the same baseline. And year over year (YoY), all three chains posted foot traffic growth, partly driven by continued expansion.
The baseline visit analysis also reveals a distinct seasonal pattern in self-storage usage patterns. Each year, visits to self-storage chains peak in Q2 and Q3 (April through September), aligning with spring cleaning, home improvement prime time, and moving season. Then in Q1, visits drop as people stay indoors during winter – likely also making fewer trips to access recreational gear and vehicles in storage.
Who are the consumers driving self-storage visit growth? Looking at the demographic characteristics of Extra Space Storage, Public Storage, and CubeSmart’s visitor bases reveals a common consumer profile across chains. In Q1 2025, the captured markets of all three chains had nearly identical median household incomes (HHIs), very close to the nationwide baseline of $79.6K. Their markets were also disproportionately urban, with higher-than-average shares of renter-occupied and multi-unit housing – all groups more likely to need extra storage space.
Still, as the self-storage market has grown, industry leaders have grown their presence in more affluent suburban markets. Between Q1 2019 and Q1 2025, Extra Space Storage’s share of “Wealthy Suburban Families” rose from 9.1% to 10.1% – slightly above the nationwide baseline of 9.6%. Meanwhile, Public Storage’s share of this segment increased from 8.8% to 9.8%, and CubeSmart’s share remained steady at 10.1%. A similar pattern emerged for “Upper Suburban Diverse Families”, with all three chains at or above the nationwide segment baseline of 9.0% by Q1 2025.
This small but perceptible shift may reflect rising demand from households where adult children are increasingly staying at home or returning after college, prompting a need for additional storage. Spare rooms once used for storage may also be increasingly repurposed into home offices, studios, or workout spaces in the wake of hybrid work trends.
Known for resilience in the face of economic headwinds and uncertainty, the self-storage space appears well-positioned to continue to thrive. How will the segment evolve in the years and months ahead?
Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
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.
