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Department stores have faced their fair share of challenges in recent years – and many of these household names are still figuring out how to remain relevant and adapt to a challenging economic environment.
With the first half of the year nearly behind us, we took a look at the visit performance for some of the major players in the department store space to understand their current standing.
As consumer budgets continue to react to the strain of rising prices, department stores are experiencing mixed visitation patterns. While luxury shoppers have, in some cases, been more insulated from the effects of inflation and rising costs, visits to high-end department stores have not been spared from this overall volatility.
However, some department stores are rallying. Visits to Nordstrom (which will be shifting to private ownership soon) and Bloomingdale’s grew by 3.3% and 2.7%, respectively, in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024. Meanwhile, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus – which recently merged – saw their Q1 2025 visits drop by -6.0% and -5.9% YoY, respectively.
Average visits per location showed more variance, with Nordstrom the only department store to experience growth in this metric (+4.1%).
Analyzing visits into April showed a continuation of the quarterly trends explored above. Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s continued to enjoy visit growth for the most part, while Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus visits declined slightly relative to 2024.
While Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Saks are known for their luxury offerings, several other department stores cater to a more mid-range consumer – and like their luxury counterparts, their visit performance has varied since the start of the year.
In Q1 2025, Macy’s was the sole department store among those analyzed to experience overall visit growth – though none of the chains saw their average visits per location surpass those of Q1 2024. However, April visits offered a more positive outlook, with Belk and JCPenney, in particular, showing elevated visits in all but one week of April 2025. Dillard's also displayed promising visitation patterns, with weekly visits up for two weeks of April.
And in an environment where so many department stores are struggling, the ability for these brands to keep visits near, or above, previous years’ levels suggests that this segment is enjoying stability.
Despite the challenges facing the overall retail segment, department stores are proving their staying power. The strong visit performance of some – like Nordstrom and Belk – alongside the visit declines of others highlight that the way ahead looks different for every store.
With plenty of changes – including in ownership and merchandising initiatives – coming up for many of these chains, will visits continue to grow?
Visit Placer.ai/anchor to stay ahead of the latest data-driven retail insights.
Superstores remain American retail staples, and once again, wholesale clubs were the foot traffic winners of the space in Q1 2025. We dove into the data to explore how weather and expanding footprints played a part in visitation trends for Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Costco Wholesale and how the demographic characteristics of visitors impacted in-store shopping behavior.
Wholesale clubs outperformed traditional superstores in Q1 2025, as BJ’s, Sam’s Club, and Costco saw 2.7% to 6.1% YoY visit increases. BJ’s and Costco expanded their footprints over the past year, which likely caused overall visit growth to outpace visit-per-location increases.
Zooming in on monthly visits reveals more nuanced foot traffic patterns. After a strong January 2025, February’s YoY visits were impacted by the comparison to 2024’s leap year. And despite severe weather, YoY traffic to all of the analyzed chains improved in March 2025, perhaps due to consumers stocking up on essentials in preparation for the storms.
Although Walmart and Target saw YoY foot traffic declines in Q1 2025 overall, Walmart saw a 4.5% YoY visit increase in April, while Target saw its visit gap narrow. Some of the April strength may have been due to the pull-forward of consumer demand ahead of anticipated price hikes and supply constraints.
The two chains’ improved April performance was likely also aided by pre-Easter shopping, with Walmart receiving the more sizable visit boost. Last year, Easter fell during the week of March 25th, ‘24, but this year, Easter fell during the week of April 14th, ‘25, giving Walmart a 15.5% weekly visit boost while Target benefitted from a smaller 0.9% visit lift (compared to the weekly average YTD). Clearly, Walmart is a more popular pre-Easter shopping destination and the calendar shift played a part in the chain’s YoY visit growth in April.
All three of the leading wholesale clubs – BJ’s, Sam’s Club, and Costco – carry a variety of essentials sold in-bulk, as well as products from discretionary categories such as apparel, housewares, and electronics. But diving into the retailers’ captured trade areas in Q1 2025 reveals that each chain serves a slightly different audience.
Costco tends to attract visitors from higher-income areas and larger households (including those with children and non-family roommates) than either Sam’s Club or BJ’s. And since larger households may need to stock-up on essentials more frequently, this could account for Costco’s higher average share of repeat monthly visitors, and by extension, its strong membership renewal rate.
Meanwhile, Sam’s Club and BJ’s typically attract more single-person households and visitors from lower-income areas – at least in part because singles are often younger consumers who have yet to reach their peak earning years. This clientele presents an opportunity for Sam’s Club and BJ’s to foster lifetime brand loyalty among digitally-driven Millennials and Gen Z-ers and shoppers seeking value in what remains a challenging economic environment.
Visitors to Sam’s Club, BJ’s, and Costco also exhibit different in-store shopping behaviors. BJ’s and Sam’s Club visitors appear to make quicker trips, with both brands seeing a larger share of visits under thirty minutes than Costco in Q1 2025 – which may be due to the use of time-saving self-checkout apps and curbside pickup. Meanwhile, Costco experienced a greater share of weekday visits than either BJ’s or Sam’s Club – perhaps since shoppers from larger households are likely to replenish essentials mid-week and prepare for large weekend gatherings. An understanding of these consumer preferences and behaviors could help the chains build out their retail media networks and put the right promotions in front of shoppers at the right time.
Wholesale clubs and superstores remain go-to destinations for essentials – and nearly everything else – and are likely to maintain their positions as retail powerhouses going forward. Using location analytics, brands can better understand their consumer base and hone their retail strategies to drive further growth.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit Placer.ai.
We dove into the data to explore The Home Depot and Lowe’s recent foot traffic performance, audience profiles, and consumer trends shaping what lies ahead for the chains.
The home improvement space has seen YoY traffic lag for quite some time, as sustained challenges in the housing market and tight budgets have resulted in fewer home improvement projects. Despite these trends continuing in Q1 2025, YoY visit gaps to home improvement retailers remained relatively minor; The Home Depot received 3.8% less visits in Q1 2025 than in Q1 2024 while Lowe’s received 3.6% fewer visits.
Zooming in on monthly visits reveals more nuanced foot traffic patterns to The Home Depot and Lowe’s. February’s relatively dramatic declines in YoY visits were likely impacted by the comparison to 2024’s leap year. And in spite of severe weather, YoY traffic to the chains improved in March 2025 as consumers prepared their homes for storms.
Despite Q1 2025’s lackluster performance, analysis of weekly visits suggests that there is reason for optimism in the home improvement space. In 2024, industry foot traffic peaked in mid-May – perhaps as consumers took on pre-Summer projects – indicating that the next few weeks of 2025 present an opportunity for The Home Depot and Lowe’s to drive significant seasonal traffic.
As traffic to the home improvement space begins to turn a corner, analysis of the trade areas from which The Home Depot and Lowe’s attract visitors reveals that each chain serves a slightly different mix of rural, suburban, and urban audience segments.
In Q1 2025, both The Home Depot and Lowe’s were popular among consumers in regions defined as “Suburban Periphery” and “Metro Cities” (i.e. small metro areas and satellite cities). However, Lowe’s drove higher shares of traffic from rural segments and The Home Depot from strongly urbanized ones. This audience segmentation highlights several differences between the chains’ retail footprints and the regions from which they command traffic.
Despite prevailing headwinds, the home improvement space may be gearing up for a seasonal boost, particularly if consumers feel a little wiggle room in their budgets or decide to take on bigger projects in anticipation of price hikes and supply constraints.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit Placer.ai.
Boot Barn is one of the fast growing brick-and-mortar apparel brands, with the company seeing a 13.5% year-over-year (YoY) increase in overall visits in Q1 2025. And while much of the growth is driven by the chain’s expansion, the average number of visits per location has remained stable (+0.2% YoY in Q1 2025), suggesting that Boot Barn’s expansion is catering to an existing and eager consumer base.
The company’s strength continued into April, with average visits per venue up by 3.3% YoY – the strongest increase all year – perhaps boosted by consumers’ stocking up on apparel ahead of anticipated price hikes.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
Like many consumer companies, the first quarter of 2025 was a challenging one for quick-service restaurants (QSRs). Consistent with commentary from the management teams at several QSR chains that have reported first-quarter 2025 results, year-over-year foot traffic decreased amid increased economic uncertainty for consumers, with our data indicating a 1.6% decrease year over year (YoY). Major chains like McDonald's reported a 3.6% decrease in U.S. same-store sales, driven largely by reduced visits from lower- and middle-income consumers according to management. Despite efforts to attract budget-conscious diners through value promotions like $5 meal deals, many consumers opted to dine at home or shift to more affordable grocery options. However, some brands, including Taco Bell and Wingstop, managed to buck the trend by leveraging unique products and targeted promotions to drive traffic growth.
Below, we build upon our Q1 recap analyses and review year-to-date visitation trends for some of the more notable limited service chains.
McDonald's has not been immune to the increasingly challenging operating environment faced by QSR operators, reporting a 3.6% drop in U.S. same-store sales – the steepest since 2020. This reduction in guests comes amid heightened economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures, which particularly impacted low- and middle-income consumers and led to YoY decreases in visits across much of the retail sector. Our data indicated a 3.3% decrease in visits per location for the quarter, which compares favorably with McDonald’s reported results when adjusting for YoY menu price increases and product mix (an increase in McValue menu purchases has put downward pressure on the average check size). However, weekly visit per location trends have improved since the quarter ended, helped by new menu items, including chicken strips and a Minecraft-themed Happy Meal, to attract cost-conscious diners.
Chipotle Mexican Grill reported a comparable restaurant sales decline of 0.4% during Q1 2025, marking the first such drop since 2020. The comparable store sales decrease was driven by a 2.3% decrease in transaction volume, partially offset by a 1.9% increase in average check size. Our data indicated a 2.1% decrease in visits per location for the full quarter, aligning with the company’s reported results.
Like McDonald’s, Chipotle saw improved visitation trends in March, helped by the introduction of Honey Chicken Since as a protein option in March. According to management, the percentage of Honey Chicken orders as a percent of total has been higher than any other previous limited time offer and even surpassing its two-market pilot test. However, on its first-quarter update, management also called out a slowdown in underlying transaction trends during April as consumers reduced their frequency of restaurant visits amid economic concerns.
Starbucks' also faced a challenging consumer backdrop in the U.S. during its January-March 2025 quarter, with comparable store sales declining 2% year-over-year. This decrease was primarily driven by a 4% drop in transaction volume, partially offset by a 3% increase in average ticket size. Our data indicated [a 5.6% decrease in visits per location and 3.7% decrease in comparable visits]. The company attributed these pressures to decreased foot traffic and increased labor investments associated with its "Back to Starbucks" turnaround strategy. Despite these headwinds, CEO Brian Niccol expressed confidence in the ongoing transformation efforts aimed at enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.
While Starbucks is still in the early days of implementing its turnaround strategies, competition from mid-sized chains like Dutch Bros, Scooter’s Coffee, and 7 Brew Coffee has become more pronounced. As we recently discussed, these emerging competitors experienced significant year-over-year visit increases—13.4% for Dutch Bros, 15.3% for Scooter’s, and an impressive 87.3% for 7 Brew—suggesting that consumers are increasingly drawn to unique, indulgent offerings and convenient formats such as drive-thrus. Despite Starbucks' strong customer loyalty, the rise of these agile rivals indicates a shift in consumer preferences toward more personalized and experiential coffee options.
In Q1 2025, Taco Bell's emphasis on product innovation significantly contributed to its strong performance, with U.S. same-store sales increasing by 9%. Management noted that "Taco Bell saw a significant expansion in consumer penetration" which helped the brand to grow traffic low single digits, which is consistent with our year-over-year visit per location trends shown below.
The brand introduced a variety of new menu items, including the Caliente Cantina Chicken Menu featuring a spicy red jalapeño sauce, and the Flamin' Hot Burrito filled with seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Additionally, Taco Bell brought back its crispy chicken nuggets, marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and coated with breadcrumbs and tortilla chips, aiming to make them a permanent menu item by 2026. These innovative offerings, alongside value-focused options like the $5, $7, and $9 Luxe Cravings Boxes, have attracted a broad customer base, reinforcing Taco Bell's position as a leader in the quick-service restaurant industry.
Conclusion
Overall, the first quarter of 2025 underscored the increasingly competitive and economically sensitive landscape facing quick-service restaurant chains. While many brands struggled with softer consumer demand and declining visit volumes, a few outliers like Taco Bell and Wingstop demonstrated the power of targeted innovation and promotional strategies. As macroeconomic pressures persist, success in the QSR space will likely hinge on a brand’s ability to balance value offerings with menu excitement, respond quickly to evolving consumer behaviors, and differentiate through experience—whether through digital innovation, drive-thru efficiency, or localized product development.
For more data-driven dining analysis, visit placer.ai/anchor.
With Google and Uber joining the ever-growing ranks of companies tightening remote work policies, employees across industries are being forced to spend more time in the office. But how much are office visit patterns really changing on the ground? Did the resurgence observed in March 2025 continue into April, or was it merely a brief reprieve from the slump seen earlier this year?
April 2025 emerged as the third-busiest in-office month since COVID, outpaced only by October and July 2024. And visits to the Placer.ai Nationwide Office Index were down just 30.7% compared to April 2019 (pre-COVID) – an improvement over April 2024. The upswing is especially notable given that Easter fell in April this year, whereas last year it fell in March. Though the holiday itself takes place on Sunday, many employees celebrate the occasion with a long weekend.
April 2025’s strong performance suggests that despite setbacks in January and February, the office recovery is back on track, with further increases potentially ahead in the coming months.
A closer look at regional trends shows significant variation across major business hubs. New York City, long at the forefront of office recovery, nearly closed its post-pandemic office visit gap in April 2025, with visits just 5.5% below April 2019 levels. Miami also performed strongly, with visits down only 15.3%. Meanwhile, Atlanta and Dallas outperformed the national baseline (Dallas, just barely), while San Francisco once again took up the rear with Chicago.
Drilling down deeper into the data for office recovery leaders, New York and Miami highlights the continued influence of hybrid work on office visitation trends, even as numbers approach pre-pandemic levels.
Nationwide, office visits recovered most strongly mid-week. But this trend was especially pronounced in nearly-recovered NYC, where Tuesdays and Wednesdays were actually busier last month than they were during the same period of 2019 – and where Thursdays were essentially on par with April 2019 levels. Meanwhile, Fridays, and to a lesser extent Mondays, remained significantly below pre-COVID benchmarks. In Miami, too, it was midweek attendance that powered the office recovery – though Fridays rebounded more strongly in the Florida hub than in New York or nationwide.
Turning to year-over-year (YoY) trends, San Francisco once again led in YoY office visit growth – suggesting that accumulating RTO mandates in the city’s tech sector may be fueling substantial recovery. Boston was not far behind, with visits up 7.4% YoY. And while most other cities also posted YoY visit growth, a few hubs – including Houston and Los Angeles – saw modest declines.
April 2025 data from the Placer.ai Office Index indicates that the renewed office recovery momentum seen in March 2025 is continuing apace – though hybrid work remains in full force. What lies ahead for offices in the months to come?
Follow Placer.ai’s data-driven office recovery analyses 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.
