Decatur, Georgia – A recent study found the city of Decatur is a big hit for movers. Move Buddha, a company that looks into the cost of moving, found out the most popular cities people are choosing to move to in 2024. Decatur won the first place in Georgia and came fifth in the whole USA.
Move Buddha said that Decatur caught their eye because more people are searching for smaller cities to live in. Per the study, Decatur’s houses cost less than the average American home, which is priced at $343,000. The stats from Move Buddha show that for each person leaving Decatur, there are about 2.39 people wanting to move in.
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The number one city in the USA for movers is The Villages in Florida, described by Move Buddha as leading the race in growth, especially with people retiring, like those from the baby boomer generation. After The Villages, Ashville in North Carolina and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina are the next top choices.
The rankings
These are the 25 most desired cities of 2024’s top cities to move-to in every state (rank, city and state, in-to-out ratio):
1. The Villages, Florida 4.38
2. Asheville, North Carolina 3.29
3. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 3.22
4. Billings, Montana 2.41
5. Decatur, Georgia 2.39
6. Chattanooga, Tennessee 2.21
7. Conroe, Texas 2.14
8. Cheyenne, Wyoming 2.13
9. Burlington, Vermont 2.11
10. Boulder, Colorado 2.10
11. Eugene, Oregon 2.00
12. Little Rock, Arkansas 1.97
13. Henderson, Nevada 1.95
14. Boise, Idaho 1.88
15. Olympia, Washington 1.59
16. Anchorage, Alaska 1.58
17. Charlottesville, Virginia 1.55
18. Des Moines, Iowa 1.50
19. Wilmington, Delaware 1.48
20. Honolulu, Hawaii 1.48
21. Overland Park, Kansas 1.47
22. 2Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1.46
23. Hartford, Connecticut 1.45
24. Grand Rapids, Michigan 1.45
25. Portland, Maine 1.41
The takeaways
Cities known for their vibrant arts scenes and outdoor activities are leading the way: Asheville, Billings, Chattanooga, Boulder, and Burlington are all in the top ten for the highest number of people moving in compared to those leaving.
Out of 23 cities, most have home prices that are less than what you’d typically expect. On average, the best cities in each state have homes costing around $375,000. This price can go as low as $136,000 in Dayton, Ohio, and as high as $959,000 in Boulder, Colorado.
The trend of people moving away from cities is changing. Although the average population of these top cities is around 200,000, the cities that people are most interested in moving to vary widely in size, from Boston’s 650,000 people to Decatur, Georgia’s nearly 25,000.
Interestingly, the larger cities that are drawing people in have relatively affordable housing. Places like Boise City, Little Rock, Sioux Falls, and Des Moines are examples of this, offering more bang for your buck in terms of home prices.
You can find the survey here.