We already know the “why” behind people moving to Texas: Jobs. But what about the “where” and “how many”? In the just released Texas relocation report from the Texas Association of Realtors, Texas was ranked as the second most popular relocation destination.
“The diverse job opportunities and high quality of life in Texas continues to drive in-state and out-of-state migration to Texas cities and counties, both big and small,” said Vicki Fullerton, 2017 chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors. “This is the third consecutive year that Texas has gained more than 500,000 new residents from out of state.”
Analyzing statewide and national migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the report showed that Texas continues to be a high-demand destination for U.S. residents relocating across the country.
“People finally discovered Texas and all that it has to offer,” Rogers Healy, founder of Rogers Healy and Associates and Healy Relocation, said. “Large corporations are moving their headquarters here, causing a major influx of relocation to Texas over the last couple of years — don’t think it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Healy Relocation has been booming with clients relocating to Texas, in large part to Austin and Dallas.”
According to the report, Texas experienced a net gain of out-of-state residents in 2015, with 107,689 more people moving to Texas than Texas residents moving out of state. This is a 4 percent increase in the net gain of Texas residents from 2014 (103,465 residents).
The total number of residents moving to Texas from out of state in 2015 increased 2.8 percent year-over-year to 553,032 incoming residents. The highest number of new Texans came from California (65,546), followed by Florida (33,670), Louisiana (31,044), New York (26,287) and Oklahoma (25,555).
Texas once again ranked third in the nation for number of residents moving out of state (445,343) in 2015. The most popular out-of-state relocation destinations for Texans were California (41,713), Florida (29,706), Oklahoma (28,642), Colorado (25,268), and Louisiana (19,863).
“We are experiencing increased relocation activity due to many major corporate relocations into the area,” said Sandi Snyder, relocation director for Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. “Due to companies such as Toyota and Liberty Mutual, the demand in the north continues to be strong.”
According to the report, which now breaks down metropolitan statistical areas, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington posted the highest number of incoming out-of-state residents at 117,982, followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland (101,604) and Austin-Round Rock (46,598).
At the county level, Harris County led the state with a net gain of 18,945 residents relocating to the county from out of state, but four of the top 10 counties with the highest net gain of residents from out of state were located in North Texas (Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties).
“Communities of interest that are on the rise are Uptown, Frisco, McKinney, and Prosper,” Snyder confirmed. “We are seeing more inquiries for the areas of Little Elm and The Colony as well.”
Fullerton concluded, “As thousands more people choose Texas to further their careers, grow their businesses and raise their families each year, the need for initiatives that protect our state’s affordability, mobility and economy becomes increasingly critical. In the upcoming legislative session, Texas Realtors will be actively advocating for sustainable, long-term policies that will support our state’s enduring population growth.”
