The pandemic turned many employees into remote workers; some are moving to less costly states and rural areas

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies map, adapted by The Rural Blog

Joint Center for Housing Studies table, from Census Bureau data; click on it to enlarge

One of the most significant changes wrought by the pandemic was expansion of remote work, which allowed many people to move to states with lower costs of living. "The U.S. housing map is being redrawn as work-from-home makes renters and home buyers more mobile and more likely to choose a place to live based on factors such as weather and tax rates," reports Meg Cunningham for Investopedia. They are "increasingly relocating to less-expensive areas, according to a report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, leading to increased demand for housing in lower-cost areas."

Expensive, often coastal, urban areas have seen the largest declines as remote workers prioritized moving places with cheaper overall living costs. "While the trend was especially popular [to move to] the suburbs across the country, rural areas also had an increase in demand. At 57%, more than half of all rural counties recorded more people moving in than out last year, according to the Harvard report," Cunningham writes. "The South had the largest net inflows of any U.S. region last year, with the biggest gains in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. . . . Montana and Wyoming also experienced a similar influx, according to the Harvard report. . . . The Sun Belt has remained popular for those looking to leave big city life, with states such as Florida, Arizona, and Texas seeing massive influxes."

Domestic migration has become "the largest source of population growth in 20 states and the largest source of population decline in 23 states," Cunningham reports. "Because of their tendency to prioritize remote work and more flexibility, younger Americans are leading the way when it comes to domestic migration trends across the country. . . . . And migration shows no signs of slowing down. . . . . A record 25.2% of Redfin users nationwide are looking to relocate, up from 22.8% last year, according to a report from earlier this year. Many buyers are looking to leave their hometowns or move to more affordable areas. . . . Five of the top 10 destinations are in Florida, and nearly all of them are in the Sun Belt. Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022, with warm weather, affordability, and low taxes enticing those from out-of-state."