Top states Americans moving to dominated by the South

There’s a southern migration happening in the U.S. right now, and it’s not because of the weather.

The National Association of Realtors’ 2024 Migration Trends report released this week shows Southern states dominated in attracting the most people to move within their borders last year, and only 1% of those who moved said they did so because of climate-related reasons, according to its analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

The study found 42% of the Americans who moved to a different state last year cited housing reasons, while 26% did so for family reasons and 16% jumped borders for employment reasons. Only 2% said they moved due to return-to-office policies.

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Here are the top states people moved to in 2023:

1. Florida – 372,870 net migration

A view of Naples Municipal beach in Florida. More Americans moved to Florida last year than any other state. (Paul Harris/Getty Images / Getty Images)

2. Texas – 315,301 net migration

The downtown skyline is seen on April 11, 2023 in Austin, Texas. ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

3. North Carolina – 126,712 net migration

A view of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. (iStock / iStock)

4. South Carolina – 91,853 net migration

Beach homes look out onto the blue waters of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Edwin Remsberg / VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

5. Georgia – 88,325 net migration

The skyline of Atlanta, the capital of Georgia. (iStock / iStock)

Tennessee came in at No. 6 with a net migration of more than 76,000, followed by Arizona (57,814), Alabama (36,128) and Oklahoma (31,967). Ohio rounded out the top 10 and was the only state north of the Mason-Dixon Line to land on it, after drawing in a net migration of 28,718.

According to the Census Bureau, the South, the nation’s most populous region, is the only region to have maintained population growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth is largely attributed to migration, with 706,266 people added via net domestic migration.

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California, the nation’s most populous state, was the biggest loser of 2023, with the state shedding 75,423 people.

California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000.

In 2023, Hawaii (-4,261), Illinois (-32,826), Louisiana (-14,274), New York (-101,984), Oregon (-6,021), Pennsylvania (-10,408), and West Virginia (-3,964) also all saw their populations fall.

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Across all generations, the top reasons for why Americans chose to move in 2023 include: To have more affordable housing or lower cost of living; move to a safer area; relocate for a new job; be closer to friends and family; and live in an area more aligned with their beliefs.

FOX News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.