Over more than a year into the pandemic, Americans were no longer “panic-moving” in the first half of 2021. Even so, small towns continued gaining more people.
Fewer People Moved in First Half of 2021 than in 2020
People are no longer “panic-moving” out of urban centers as they did when the COVID pandemic hit the US last March. Many people had already relocated in 2020 and many, many millions of people, because they are vaccinated, are not quite as COVID panicked as they were in 2020.
That said, many people are continuing to move…and they’re following the steps of last year’s movers to micropolitan and/or rural environments, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
(NAR)’s latest study on migration trends in the US from January 2021 through June 2021 was updated based on US Postal Service® change-of-address data.)
Small Town Gains
As more people continued to move from urban areas, NAR found that rural areas gained the highest share of inbound moves at 54.6%.
Micropolitan areas featuring low commute times and traffic gained 53.8% of urban center relocators and small towns gained 53.2%.
(All of these gains are slightly above 2020 gains.)
The biggest draw of all these small town/rural areas is affordability. Quite simply, the cost of housing in a small town, micropolitan area and rural area is substantially less and consumes a much smaller piece of people’s salaries as those relocators are able to purchase bigger homes for their families.
Where Did Families Move from January 2021 through June 2021 as compared to 2020?
All of the destinations listed below are more affordable for families:
- Naples FL – +44%
- Barnstable MA – +42%
- Cape Corral FL – +37%
- Sarasota FL – +37%
- Provo – Orem UT – +37%
- Myrtle Beach SC – +34%
- Port St. Lucie FL – +33%
- Ocala FL – +32%
- Wilmington NC – +31%
- Ogden UT – +31%
Where Did Individuals Move from January 2021 through June 2021?
A whopping 70% of inbound movers to urban areas were individuals during January 2021 through June 2021. Substantially fewer individuals moved to smaller cities and/or rural areas. Again, these percentage differences compare the first half of 2021 to 2020.
Take a look:
- San Francisco CA – +74%
- Denver CO – +74%
- Seattle WA – +74%
- San Jose CA – +74%
- Portland OR-WA – +73%
- Baltimore MD – +72%
- Washington DC-VA-MD-WV – +72%
- Austin TX – +72%
- Philadelphia PA-NJ-DE-MD – +72%
- Los Angeles CA – 72%
Where Did Businesses Move from January 2021 through June 2021?
Businesses followed people to suburbs and small cities. This business migration trend from urban centers to suburban-rural areas most definitely has had and may continue to have an impact on businesses across the country.
According to NAR’s data, the difference is stark: the share of inbound moves of businesses to urban centers was 47% while the inbound moves of businesses to small towns and rural areas was 65%.
Take a look at the comparative percentages from 2020 to the first half of 2021:
- Asheville NC – +57%
- Cincinnati OH-KY-IN – +55%
- Omaha NE-IA – +55%
- Riverside CA – +55%
- Deltona FL – +53%
- Bridgeport CT – +52%
- Charleston SC – +52%
- Nashville TN – +52%
- Jacksonville FL – +52%
- Charlotte NC-SC – +51%
Relocators Not Motivated by Affordability Moved Near the Ocean or the Mountains
Not all relocators were motivated by affordability; those who were motivated by their own personal choices chose to move near the ocean or a beautiful mountain view.
Take a look at these comparative percentages between the first half of 2021 and 2020:
- Barnstable Town MA – +63%
- Portland ME – +56%
- Myrtle Beach SC – +53%
- Asheville NC – +53%
- Wilmington NC – +53%
- Raleigh NC – +52%
- Greeley CO – +52%
- Bridgeport CT – +51%
- Huntsville AL -+51%
- Greenville SC – +51%
- Jacksonville FL -+51%
- Knoxville TN – +51%
- Providence RI – +51%
- Boise City ID – +51%
- Charlotte NC-SC – +51%
Thanks to the National Association of REALTORS®.
