Texas Dominates Domestic Migration Flows While Maintaining Population Surge
Newly released figures from the United States Census Bureau have revealed a striking demographic pattern: Texas has become the leading source of new residents for nine other American states, despite simultaneously recording the most substantial population growth of any state this decade. The 2024 state-to-state migration data, which tracks individuals' previous and current residences, shows Texas supplying the highest number of new residents to Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
The Scale Factor in Migration Patterns
With a population of 31 million residents, making it the second most populous state in the nation, Texas gained an impressive 2.1 million people between 2020 and 2024. Dudley Poston, professor emeritus of sociology at Texas A&M University, attributes this dual phenomenon primarily to size. "There's got to be more people leaving Texas than leaving other states because of the population size of Texas," Poston explained, highlighting how sheer volume naturally generates significant out-migration numbers even during periods of net growth.
Other Major Migration Contributors
The migration patterns reveal that other highly populous states similarly dominate regional relocation flows. California, with 39 million residents, served as the primary source for new residents in Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Interestingly, California also emerged as the top domestic supplier to Tennessee, reflecting established connections between Nashville's entertainment sector and Southern California's industry networks.
Florida, ranking third in population with 23 million residents, provided the most new residents to southeastern neighbors Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina, along with Ohio. The Sunshine State has gained 1.8 million residents this decade, the second-highest increase nationally. Richard Doty, a research demographer at the University of Florida, noted that while Florida's size plays a crucial role, additional factors like escalating real estate and homeowners' insurance costs, coupled with attractive job opportunities for recent graduates in cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, contribute to this outflow. "It is no longer as affordable a relocation or retirement option as it once was," Doty observed via email.
Regional Migration Networks
New York emerged as the leading source for new residents in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, while Illinois dominated migration to Midwestern neighbors Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, emphasized the consistent pattern: "The states with the largest out-migration numbers — California, Florida, Texas, and New York — are also the states with the largest populations. That's not a coincidence. Large populations naturally generate large volumes of both in-and-out migrants."
Several predictable regional patterns emerged in the data, including former Massachusetts residents constituting the largest source of new residents in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Similarly, former Wisconsin residents formed the biggest group of new Minnesotans, while former North Carolinians represented the primary source for new South Carolina residents.
International Migration Context
The 2024 data, collected before the immigration policy changes of the second Trump administration, shows that in most states, international arrivals represented the primary source of new residents. However, exceptions occurred where domestic migration from individual states outweighed international movement, including Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The Census Bureau is scheduled to release updated population estimates next week, providing further insight into demographic shifts throughout 2025 and offering a more complete picture of America's evolving migration landscape.
