Migration trends across the U.S. are shifting, with 13.7% of home shoppers looking to buy property out of state, according to a recent survey from online lending platform LendingTree. In 2024, Alaska had the highest rate of shoppers considering moving out of state, while Texas had the lowest. Of those surveyed, 28% of those in Alaska said they plan to buy out of state, while just 8% of Texans planned to move elsewhere. Of any state, out-of-state residents were more interested in South Carolina than its residents were in buying elsewhere. Meanwhile, California had the least interest from out-of-state buyers.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, California was the least popular state for out-of-state shoppers compared to residents looking to buy elsewhere. For every 100 Californians interested in purchasing outside of their state, only 30 out-of-state buyers expressed interest in California property — a ratio of 0.30.
Of course, California is famously expensive for homebuying. In fact, the average monthly mortgage payment is $3,399 — $1,082 higher than the national average and the second-highest by state. With an average monthly household income of $10,079, mortgage payments take up 33.72% of homeowners’ incomes — the third-highest by state. That may be why consumers here may be more interested in homes elsewhere. Read more