This is the No. 1 state Americans want to move to most: People are 'trading square footage for quality of life'

In January, U.S. Census data showed that Americans were flocking to the Sun Belt states and according to a new report from moveBuddha that trend is still going strong.

The relocation tech company used proprietary data collected from 2020 through October 1, 2025, to analyze move trends. moveBuddha calculated the rates using an in-to-out ratio equation, based on the number of queries to move in divided by the number of queries to move out, using the company’s moving cost calculator.

The report found that four of the top 10 states people are looking to move to most are located in the South.

“The pattern is unmistakable: Americans are trading square footage for quality of life, megacities for mid-markets, and high costs for breathing room,” the report states.

Ryan Carrigan, founder of moveBuddha, tells CNBC Make It that the report confirms this trend that’s been established for a while: People are moving South.