How roots, state networks, and new movers are changing the map of home in America
Fewer Americans live in the state where they were born. But people do not move at random. They often choose places where people from their home state already live. These connections may include family, friends, job contacts, and people who know the area.
This matters because distance can shape access to child care, elder care, housing help, and support during a crisis. Moving patterns also affect home prices, jobs, schools, roads, and local services. Some states grow mainly through newcomers, while others keep many locally born residents and still attract people from elsewhere.
A new report by Gourmet Gift Baskets combines Census birthplace data, complete 2023 state-to-state moving data, and MovingPlace activity from the first half of 2026. Together, these data show where Americans have roots, where they move, and which state and ZIP-code networks are growing now.
Key Takeaways
- Americans are living farther from their roots. The share living in their birth state fell from 59.1% in 2010 to 56.8% in 2024.
- New moves follow existing state networks. The link between the size of an established state network and new moves along the same path had a strong correlation of 0.89.
Fewer People Live In Their Birth State
The share of people who live in their birth state has slowly fallen. The number still rose as the nation grew. But the number living outside their birth state grew faster.
The Mover Attraction Score
The Mover Attraction Score shows where the strongest signs of mover interest appear. It is not a ranking of the best states to live in. It does not include home prices, jobs, taxes, schools, weather, or safety. It only uses the moving and birthplace data.
Each state gets a score from 0 to 100. Net migration per 1,000 people makes up 35% of the score. Inflow per 1,000 makes up 25%. MovingPlace activity for January through June 2026 makes up 20%. The share of residents born in another state or Puerto Rico makes up 10%. ZIP-code momentum makes up the final 10%. Each measure is first turned into a state percentile, so the score compares states on the same scale
South Carolina ranks first with a score of 87.4. It has the strongest mix of net gains, inflow, current moving activity, and ZIP momentum. Idaho and Arizona follow with scores of 86.6 and 86.5. North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, and Nevada also rank near the top.
North Dakota, Vermont, and Delaware also score well because the index uses rates instead of raw totals. Smaller states can rank high when they receive many movers compared with their population. Puerto Rico is not ranked because MovingPlace did not provide a 2026 state activity value for Puerto Rico. The score should be read as a summary of mover attraction, not as a final answer. Changing the weights will change some ranks. The map is most useful for showing broad groups of states with strong, average, or weak moving signals.
States With Deep Roots And States With Many Newcomers
States That Keep People Born There
The home-state stay rate asks how many people born in a state still live there. Texas stands out. It keeps a large share of people born there and also draws many new residents.
State Networks Guide New Moves
For each route, we compared the number of people born in the origin state who already lived at the destination with the number who made the same move in 2023. For example, about 1 million California-born people already lived in Texas, and about 94,000 people moved from California to Texas that year. We repeated this comparison across all 2,652 routes.
The relationship was strong. Routes with larger established state networks usually had more new movers. The Pearson correlation was 0.89, while the rank correlation was 0.86. Values close to 1 show a strong link. This does not prove that family or friends caused the moves, but it shows that people often move to places where others from their home state already live.
These state links may include family, friends, job contacts, and knowledge about housing or schools. These ties can make a move easier. They may also help explain why the same state-to-state paths stay active over time.
What The 2026 Moving Data Show
MovingPlace adds a current view for January through June 2026. Moving activity is high in several states with many newcomers. The measure counts move records with a destination in each state or ZIP code, including local moves. It does not tell us if a state gained or lost people overall.
Florida led the group, with about 22 moves per 1,000 residents in early 2026. Colorado was nearly even at 21.9, and Idaho followed at 20.4. These states also have large newcomer populations. Fewer than four in ten residents were born locally in Florida, Arizona, and Nevada.
High moving activity does not always mean growth. The District of Columbia had about 20 moves per 1,000 residents, but it lost about 11 residents per 1,000 through state-to-state migration in 2023. Oregon also had high activity but a small net loss. These places have high turnover rather than clear growth.
North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina show a different pattern. At least half of their residents were born locally, yet all three gained residents. South Carolina had the strongest net gain at nearly 13 per 1,000, followed by North Carolina at almost 10 per 1,000. These states are attracting movers while keeping stronger local roots.
Where Zip-Code Interest Is Rising
Our report also analyzed the top 67 ZIP codes drawn from the MovingPlace 2026 mid-year report. They cover 23 states. Texas has 16, and Florida has 15. Together, they make up 46.3% of our list. The top six states make up 68.7%.
Texas had 16 listed ZIP codes in 13 cities. It had 17.30 moves per 1,000 people, 57.1% of residents were born in Texas, and its 2023 net move rate was +4.51. Florida had 15 ZIP codes in 15 cities. It also had the highest moving activity at 22.10 per 1,000, a local-born share of 34.7%, and a net rate of +5.98.
North Carolina had five ZIP codes in four cities, 19.20 moves per 1,000, and a net rate of +9.83. Washington had four ZIP codes in two cities and 18.80 moves per 1,000, but its net rate was slightly negative at -0.38. Arizona and Colorado each had three ZIP codes in two cities. Arizona had a net rate of +8.37, while Colorado had a net rate of +3.59.
Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, and Tennessee each had two listed ZIP codes. South Carolina had the strongest net rate in this group at +12.75. Tennessee followed at +3.23, Ohio was close to even at +0.22, and Oregon was negative at -1.40. Florida’s entries were spread across many cities.
How The Pattern Works
As people leave their home states, they build networks in new places that attract more movers and spread families across state lines.
The data track this pattern in three ways. The local-born share shows how many residents were born in their current state. The home-state stay rate shows how many people born there stayed. State networks show where those who left now live and whether new movers follow the same paths.
America is becoming less tied to the birth state, but place still matters. Some states have deep local roots. Others depend more on newcomers. A third group, including Texas and North Carolina, keeps many locally born residents while also attracting people from elsewhere.
New movers often choose states where many people from their home state already live. These networks may include family, friends, job contacts, and people who know the area. The 2026 data show where this pattern remains active, including newcomer hubs such as Florida and Arizona. The geography of home is not one place. It is a network connecting home states, new destinations, and local communities.
Methodology
Census data
The Census birthplace data show where people live and where they were born. We use 2024 data to measure the local-born share, home-state stay rate, population mix, and state networks.
The Census moving data show where people lived one year earlier. The 2024 file hides 279 state-pair values because the samples were too small. We therefore use 2023 data for complete inflow, outflow, net migration, and state-to-state route comparisons.
The report covers the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, not a state.
Using all 2,652 state and jurisdiction pairs in 2023, we found a strong link between established state networks and new moves. The Pearson correlation was 0.89, while the rank correlation was 0.86. Routes with larger existing networks usually received more new movers
MovingPlace data
MovingPlace’s 2026 mid-year report uses Porch Group move records from January through June 2026. It counts moves with a destination in each state or ZIP code, including local moves. We use these data as a sign of current moving activity. They are not Census estimates and do not measure net migration.
Mover Attraction Score
The score combines five measures. Each measure is first ranked from 0 to 100. We then apply these weights
35% net migration + 25% inflow + 20% MovingPlace activity + 10% newcomer share + 10% ZIP-code momentum
A higher score means the state shows stronger signs of attracting movers. The highest score receives rank #1.
The score is not a ranking of the best states to live in. It does not include housing costs, jobs, taxes, schools, safety, or weather.
Puerto Rico is not ranked because MovingPlace did not provide a 2026 state activity value for it.
Data sources
U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, State of Residence by Place of Birth and State-to-State Migration Flows. We use 2024 birthplace data and complete 2023 moving data.
MovingPlace. The Hottest ZIP Codes in America: 2026 Mid-Year Report, based on Porch Group move records from January through June 2026.
What the data cannot tell us
Birthplace does not show where a person’s family lives. People also move for jobs, housing, school, retirement, weather, and marriage.
The Mover Attraction Score depends on the measures and weights we selected. Different weights could change some ranks. It should be read as a summary of moving patterns, not a final measure of quality of life.