Californians Move to Austin, Texans Head to Major US Cities

The Lone Star State isn't just attracting tourists — it's continuing to attract new residents as well.

Data released last November shows Texas led the nation in intra‑state migration in 2023. More than 11% of its population, around 3,356,000 people, moved from one place in Texas to another — the highest share and number among US states, according to Texas Realtors.

"Texas is a great place to live," Texas Realtors Chairman Jef Conn said. "With our wide variety of locations, quality of life, and thriving economy, it’s not surprising that so many Texans who moved chose to remain in the Lone Star State."

As 2023 saw an overall drop in state-to-state moves, inbound moves to Texas stayed strong, making up 8.1% of all cross‑state relocations — second only to Florida, at 8.4%.

This data is supported by U-Haul's latest midyear migration trends report. The company tracked one-way rentals of its trucks, trailers and U-Box moving containers to record migration patterns across states, within states, and across the country's 35 largest metropolitan areas.

Where did people move to Austin from in the first half of 2025, and where are former Austin and Texas residents moving to? Here's what U-Haul found.

Where are new Austin residents coming from?

Top origin states

1. California
2. Florida
3. Colorado
4. Louisiana
5. Arizona
6. Oklahoma
7. Georgia
8. Illinois
9. Tennessee
10. New Mexico

Top origin metro areas outside Texas

1. Denver, Colorado
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Phoenix, Arizona
4. San Francisco, California
5. Atlanta, Georgia

Top origin metro areas within Texas

1. Houston
2. Dallas
3. San Antonio
4. Brownsville
5. Killeen

Where are Austin residents moving to?

• Dallas: (No. 2 origin metro within Texas)
• Houston: (No. 2 origin metro within Texas)
• San Antonio: (No. 2 origin metro within Texas)
• Denver, Colorado: (No. 5 origin metro outside Texas)

Top destinations for Texas residents leaving the state

The following metro areas are seeing more Texas residents moving in. All rankings exclude each city's state, where people move from within the state to a new city. The Kansas City ranking excludes those moving from both Kansas and Missouri.

• Denver, Colorado: No. 1 state
• Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri: No. 1 state
• Phoenix, Arizona: No. 2 state
• San Diego, California: No. 2 state
• Miami, Florida: No. 2 state
• St. Louis, Missouri: No. 2 state
• Los Angeles, California: No. 3 state
• Riverside, California: No. 3 state
• Orlando, Florida: No. 3 state
• Tampa, Florida: No. 3 state
• Nashville, Tennessee: No. 3 state
• Seattle, Washington: No. 3 state
• Chicago, Illinois: No. 4 state
• Minneapolis, Minnesota: No. 4 state
• Las Vegas, Nevada: No. 4 state
• Sacramento, California: No. 5 state
• San Francisco & San Jose (Bay Area), California: No. 5 state
• Detroit, Michigan: No. 5 state
• Portland, Oregon: No. 5 state
• Atlanta, Georgia: No. 6 state
• Charlotte, North Carolina: No. 6 state
• Indianapolis, Indiana: No. 7 state
• Cincinnati, Ohio: No. 7 state
• Washington, DC: No. 8 state
• Cleveland, Ohio: No. 8 state
• Baltimore, Maryland: No. 9 state
• Columbus, Ohio: No. 9 state
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: No. 9 state
• New York, New York: No. 10 state
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: No. 10 state