San Antonio is the Top Destination for Gen Z Movers, While Millennials Favor Houston

• Gen Zers are flocking to places with lots of job opportunities for young people, like Washington, D.C., Austin and Nashville. Millennials are heading to places where they can get bigger houses for less money, like Dallas and Baltimore.
• Gen Zers and millennials are mostly making short-distance moves from expensive to more affordable places, like from Los Angeles to neighboring Riverside, or New York to nearby Philadelphia.
• Young adults are less likely to make a major move than they were a decade ago.

SEATTLE, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- San Antonio is the most popular migration destination for Gen Zers, while Houston is the hottest spot for millennial movers, according to a new report from Redfin, the real estate brokerage powered by Rocket. Gen Zers are gravitating toward places like Washington, D.C., Austin and Nashville—metros with plenty of job opportunities for people early in their careers, along with lively social scenes. Millennials favor metro areas like Dallas and Baltimore—places that can offer more affordable housing and space for people in their 30s and early 40s.

One thing the generations have in common: New York and Los Angeles are among the places they're most commonly leaving. And many of the most popular moves for both generations are relatively short hops between neighboring metros.

"Gen Zers are chasing opportunity, while millennials are chasing space," said Sheharyar Bokhari, a principal economist at Redfin. "Younger adults are gravitating toward cities where they can launch careers and their social lives, while millennials are more focused on places where a paycheck stretches further and buying a home is attainable. But young Americans aren't fleeing expensive cities for the cheapest place they can find: Most are making relatively short moves, suggesting they want a better job or lower cost of living without giving up their existing networks. And the fact that expensive coastal cities are losing residents from both generations is a reminder that even the biggest job centers can lose their pull when housing costs get too high."

Gen Zers Are Flocking to San Antonio

San Antonio is the most popular migration destination for Gen Zers, with 10,678 more Gen Zers moving into the metro than moving out. Other top destinations for Gen Zers include:

Three of those five metros are in Texas, and several stand out as particularly attractive places to start a career. A separate Redfin and Glassdoor analysis ranked Washington, D.C. as the best big U.S. city for recent college graduates, while Dallas is fourth and Austin is 10th. The ranking considered career opportunities, housing affordability and quality of life.

Kristin Sanchez, a Redfin Premier agent in Nashville, says she's still seeing some young remote workers move into the area for a lower cost of living and fun vibes—and there is also an influx of companies bringing workers into offices there, like Amazon and Apple.

"Nashville has become a magnet for young professionals because the job market is growing right alongside the city," Sanchez said. "We're seeing companies expand or relocate here, bringing opportunities in healthcare, tech and entertainment that are especially appealing to people early in their careers. And for Gen Zers coming from expensive places like California or New York, Nashville can offer the best of both worlds: a vibrant city with strong career opportunities where their money can go further."

New York is Losing More Gen Zers than Any Other Metro

The Big Apple posted a net outflow of 29,554. It's followed by:

• Minneapolis (-17,815)
• Los Angeles (-16,465)
• Denver (-13,882)
• Detroit (-11,696).

Affordability—or lack thereof—is part of the story in pricey New York and Los Angeles, but Gen Z migration isn't purely about housing costs. Moves among young adults are also heavily influenced by college, first jobs and the transition from school into the workforce.

Texas Has Always Been a Hotspot For Young Movers—But Other Popular Destinations Have Changed Over the Last Decade

Twenty-somethings were moving to different places a decade ago—with a few exceptions. In 2014, the most popular destinations for millennials (then 19-33 years old) were Sacramento, CA, Austin, Dallas, Columbus, OH and Seattle. The only places on both top-five lists for the youngest adults today (Gen Z) and the youngest adults a decade ago are Austin and Dallas; Austin is known for both its strong job market and vibrant live-music and food culture.

Back in 2014, when the U.S. was coming out of the Great Recession, young people were flocking to smaller cities instead of the most well-known job hubs, like New York and Los Angeles. Those slightly smaller cities offered a combination of strong job markets and proximity to recreation.

On the flip side is the metro areas young people were leaving a decade ago. In 2014, 19-33 year olds were most commonly moving away from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Miami. New York and Los Angeles are still on the list.

Houston and Dallas Are Now the Top Destinations For Millennial Movers

Houston is the most popular destination for millennials today, with 16,365 more millennials moving into the metro than leaving. It's followed by:

• Dallas (+13,072)
• Baltimore (+11,724)
• Las Vegas (+8,860)
• Atlanta (+8,753).

Millennials are in their 30s and early 40s, ages when buying a home and finding more space can weigh more heavily on moving decisions. Their top destinations are large employment centers where housing generally costs less than in coastal cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. All five of the most popular destinations for millennials have a median home-sale price of less than $450,000.

Like Gen Zers, millennials are leaving New York at a faster rate than any other metro area, with a net outflow of 42,698. It's followed by:

• Los Angeles (-31,107)
• Miami (-21,373)
• Washington, D.C. (-12,364)
• San Francisco (-11,819).

Washington, D.C. offers perhaps the clearest generational contrast: It's the second-most popular destination for Gen Zers but one of the places millennials are most commonly leaving.

For Gen Zers and Millennials, the Most Common Moves Are Short Hops, Not Cross-Country Treks

The most common Gen Z route is Los Angeles to Riverside, CA, with 10,261 members of the generation making that move in 2024. It's followed by:

• New York to Philadelphia (9,284 movers)
• Los Angeles to San Diego (9,237 movers).

Rather than making major cross-country moves, many Gen Zers are reshuffling within the regions they already live in as they pursue jobs or cheaper housing. The typical home in New York, for instance, sells for $832,000, compared with $309,000 in Philadelphia, and the typical home in Minneapolis sells for $404,000, compared with $323,000 in St. Cloud.

Like Gen Zers, millennials frequently move between neighboring metros. Also like Gen Zers, their most popular route is Los Angeles to Riverside, with 19,983 movers. Next come:

• Washington, D.C. to Baltimore (11,343 movers)
•  San Jose to San Francisco (11,302).

For millennials, some of those moves offer a clear housing tradeoff: relocating from Los Angeles to Riverside or from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore can provide access to more affordable housing without leaving a region altogether. There's one notable exception to the short-move pattern: The seventh-most common route for millennials is from New York to Los Angeles, the only cross-country route on the top 10 list.

Big Moves Are Becoming Slightly Less Common For Young Adults

Young adults are a bit less likely to make a major move than they were a decade ago—or even just before the pandemic. Roughly 14% of 19-24 year olds moved away from their metro area in 2024, down from roughly 15% in 2014. And roughly 9% of 25-34 year olds relocated in 2024, down from about 11% in 2014.

Remote work has made it possible for young adults to start their careers or change jobs without changing cities, and high housing costs in certain places may be discouraging some would-be movers.

To view the full report, including interactive charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/where-gen-z-millennials-move

About Redfin
Redfin is a technology-driven real estate company with the country's most-visited real estate brokerage website. As part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), Redfin is creating an integrated homeownership platform from search to close to make the dream of homeownership more affordable and accessible for everyone. Redfin's clients can see homes first with on-demand tours, easily apply for a home loan with Rocket Mortgage, and save thousands in fees while working with a top local agent.

You can find more information about Redfin and get the latest housing market data and research at https://www.redfin.com/news. For more information about Rocket Companies, visit https://www.rocketcompanies.com.

 

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SOURCE Redfin