REAL ESTATE

South Tightens Grip as Favorite Region for Americans on the Move

But Midwest gains some traction

File this under not-surprising: The South, land of low taxes, sunny skies and affordable home prices, is the most popular region for Americans who are picking up and moving to new corners of the country.

The chart above shows how dominant the South has been on this front: Fully a million more Americans moved into Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee than moved out in 2023.

But here’s something that’s a little surprising: The Midwest, that place of harsh winters and shrinking jobs totals, is luring some folks, too. Ohio made the Top 10 on the Census list, followed closely by Indiana and Wisconsin.

According to the National Association of Realtors’ new report, among those moving around the country, 46 percent chose the South, 25 percent went West, 18 percent opted for the Midwest and 11 percent moved to the Northeast. (On the other side of the equation, those migrants had to come from somewhere, and 33 percent left the South, 30 percent moved out of the West, 22 percent departed the Midwest and 15 percent exited the Northeast.)

Homebuyers moving to the South were particularly motivated by lower or more…