Gen Z is chasing the American Dream in South Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee
California recorded the nation’s largest web lack of Gen Z adults in 2024, shedding roughly 58,109 younger adults, based on a brand new LendingTree report analyzing the most recent obtainable Census information.
Texas was the largest vacation spot for younger Californians on the transfer. Other states additionally recorded sizable web features in nationwide Gen Z migration, together with South Carolina, which gained 22,843; Missouri, with 14,063; and Tennessee, with 13,537. Several of those states provide a lower cost of living than many different elements of the nation, doubtlessly giving younger adults extra room to stretch their paychecks.
Washington, D.C., was a notable outlier. The nation’s capital recorded a web acquire of 13,905 Gen Z adults regardless of rating among the many dearer locations to stay. But the area’s focus of high-paying jobs could assist offset its steep housing and residing prices for some younger professionals.
Moving throughout state strains for varsity, a brand new job, or a change of surroundings is nothing new for younger adults. Still, the dimensions of the migration is hanging: Nearly 11 million Gen Z adults—roughly one in 4—moved in 2024.
“When you’re younger, and also you’re simply getting began, you don’t have to fret about transferring your youngsters to a brand new college or uprooting your whole household,” report creator Matt Schulz advised Realtor.com. “You can simply form of rise up and go, and I feel we’re actually seeing a few of that on this.”
Soaring prices and a troublesome job market are pushing Gen Z to flee
Persistent inflation, stubborn housing costs, and better vitality costs proceed to pressure family budgets throughout the nation. For younger individuals, these pressures come on high of an unfriendly job market for entry-level workers and the restart of student loan payments, making it even tougher to get their lives off the bottom.
Some 42% of Gen Z live paycheck to paycheck, based on a latest Bank of America study. Nearly half reported that the excessive price of residing is a high barrier to monetary success.
Yet at the same time as excessive residing prices push some younger adults to hunt alternatives elsewhere, California particularly continues to draw some newcomers.
According to U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends report, which tracks the web acquire of its one-way truck and trailer leases, California ranked in the top three destinations for each Gen Z and millennial movers from July 2025 via June 2026. The San Francisco Bay Area particularly ranked among the many generations’ high metro locations.
The state’s position on the middle of the AI growth could assist clarify its enchantment. California is house to main AI firms corresponding to Anthropic and OpenAI, together with 56 Fortune 500 companies, starting from Apple to Williams-Sonoma. For younger employees hoping to interrupt into know-how or different high-paying industries, these alternatives could assist offset the state’s steep residing prices.
Still, California’s enchantment to some newcomers hasn’t translated into stronger general migration numbers. The state has ranked final in U-Haul’s annual development rankings for six consecutive years, highlighting the problem of attracting new residents whereas others proceed to depart.
From large cities to missed bourses: Where consultants say Gen Z ought to transfer to get forward
For Gen Z making an attempt to determine the place to place down roots, Scott Galloway, a podcaster and NYU Stern School of Business professor, has argued that large cities can provide a profession benefit.
He mentioned that two-thirds of worldwide financial development over the subsequent 30 years will come from the global community’s 20 “supercities” corresponding to London, Milan, New York, and San Francisco, the place wealth, expertise, and innovation are concentrated.
“When you’re in a metropolis, you’re enjoying towards Serena Williams on daily basis,” Galloway mentioned on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2024. “Everyone is sensible, everyone seems to be well-dressed, everyone seems to be working laborious, everyone seems to be taking possibilities. And you might be surrounded by people who find themselves very profitable, and you might be gonna bump off skilled and private [opportunities] on daily basis.”
But Barbara Corcoran, the self-made millionaire actual property mogul and Shark Tank investor, presents a special method to constructing wealth: Look for reasonably priced property in missed bourses.
“Go anyplace that has a poor college district the place costs are actually low,” Corcoran said on the Elvis Duran radio present in 2023.
The South, she added, is usually a notably promising place to search out offers—however not Florida, the place housing prices in some bourses have surged, and wealthy newcomers have helped gas demand.
“Go anyplace within the South aside from the hotspot,” Corcoran mentioned. “There’s all the time an inexpensive home to purchase, all the time. But not Florida, neglect about Florida.”
