Relocators Are Gravitating Toward Older, More Established Communities, With Retirees Helping Fuel the Trend
Net Migration as a Share of Starting Population, 2024-2025, vs. Weighted Age Differential and Share of Residents 65+*
| Metro (CBSA) | Weighted age differential (years) | Share of residents 65+ (%) | Net migration (% of starting pop.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | -0.2 | 17.3 | 1.0 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 0.5 | 11.9 | 1.0 |
| Boise City, ID | 0.5 | 16.1 | 1.7 |
| Boulder, CO | -0.1 | 16.4 | -1.1 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 3.3 | 14.3 | -1.0 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | -6.1 | 28.9 | 1.8 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 6.9 | 14.7 | -1.0 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 0.5 | 16.4 | 2.0 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 7.4 | 11.7 | -1.5 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | -0.4 | 17.6 | 1.0 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | -7.7 | 26.4 | 1.7 |
| El Paso, TX | 2.7 | 13.1 | -1.3 |
| Greeley, CO | 2.1 | 12.9 | 1.1 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 0.7 | 17.4 | 1.2 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | -4.3 | 20.3 | 1.5 |
| Huntsville, AL | -0.3 | 15.7 | 1.5 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | -5.3 | 22.9 | 1.1 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 7.4 | 13.6 | -1.6 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 1.0 | 19.5 | 2.7 |
| Laredo, TX | 5.7 | 10.3 | -2.6 |
| Merced, CA | 4.9 | 11.7 | -1.8 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | -1.4 | 19.2 | -1.4 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | -8.8 | 26.4 | 3.6 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1.4 | 14.1 | 1.0 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | -11.4 | 33.2 | 1.9 |
| Ocala, FL | -5.2 | 28.7 | 4.1 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | -5.7 | 24.5 | 1.7 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | -6.0 | 26.9 | 2.2 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1.1 | 13.2 | 1.0 |
| Salinas, CA | 2.3 | 14.9 | -1.0 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | -1.6 | 19.0 | -1.7 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 1.7 | 14.6 | 1.0 |
| Spartanburg, SC | 1.0 | 16.7 | 2.1 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 6.1 | 15.9 | -1.5 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 4.6 | 15.0 | -1.6 |
| Tyler, TX | 0.0 | 17.4 | 1.0 |
| Wilmington, NC | -6.8 | 23.9 | 2.2 |
*Weighted age differential is the age gap between incoming residents and the existing population; negative values mean in-migrants skew older. Net migration is measured as a share of each market's starting population, 2024-2025. Each dot is a CBSA; the dashed line is a least-squares fit.
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