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This “See You Soon!” State Saw the Biggest Spike In New Residents in 2023

Inigo Del Castillo
Inigo Del Castillo
Inigo is a content writer at Apartment Therapy and previously for Lost At E Minor. A few years ago, he wrote an article about baby bats, which was so cute, Buzzfeed took a screenshot of the headline and cover image, then made a listicle about weird but adorable things. He thought it was so cool. He enjoys books, k-pop, anime, and sports. He is based in the Philippines.
published Jan 15, 2024
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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA cityscape in Bricktown at dusk.
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As it turns out, a lot of Americans are saying “see you soon” to the Sooner State.

HireAHelper.com has published its 2023–2024 Moving Migration Report, which details the relocation trends from the past year, and it comes with a big surprise. Oklahoma saw the biggest growth in people moving to the state — higher than any other state in the country.

To get their results, the company studied over 75,000 local and long-distance moves in the United States that were booked last year through HireAHelper.com and their partner sites and affiliates. Their findings revealed that OK had a 40% net gain in people moving there.

Many might be surprised to learn that Oklahoma is now one of the most popular destinations to move to because traditionally places like Florida are known for being popular moving destinations. A closer look at OK, however, reveals that the state has low cost of living (the second lowest in the U.S.), is a great location for military retirees (veterans are 100% exempt from property and sales taxes), and has the ninth shortest commute time in the country. Other factors that make it attractive are a booming job market, affordable housing, and many top universities.

“Their money goes further here than in California,” Lee Cohen, CFO of Tulsa-based Chinowth & Cohen Realtors, explained to The Journal Record about the importance of the city’s affordability to relocators. “The market here is still pretty strong.”

The report also found that just behind Oklahoma were South Carolina and Tennessee, which both had 35% net gains last year.

In terms of sheer volume of relocating individuals and families, Florida was the big winner, followed by Texas and California.

According to the U.S. Census Data, the biggest reason for moving anywhere this year was retirement, with 44% more Americans moving to retire in 2023 compared to 2022. Other popular reasons for moving were as follows: a new job, cheaper housing, an easier commute, and a better neighborhood. A customer survey by HireAHelper.com also added other reasons for relocating, such as being closer to family, nicer weather, and wanting a bigger or smaller home.

You can read more about the 2023–2024 Moving Migration Report on HireAHelper.com.

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