More than 9 million people aged 18-34 moved somewhere new in the U.S. in 2019, nearly 12% of the young adult population in the country. These people moved for many reasons — some got a new job, others headed off to college, and some relocated so they could have more room to start a family.
Whatever the reason, certain parts of the country seemed to be more appealing destinations. Dozens of counties across the country saw young adults move in by the thousands — and these new residents now make up a large share of the area’s population.
To determine the 40 places where young people are moving, 24/7 Wall St. used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. All U.S. counties, county equivalents, and independent cities were ranked based on the number of 18 to 34 year-olds who moved to the area — from a different county or country — in 2019 as a share of the total county’s total population.
More than half of the 40 places where young adults are moving to are located in the South — 23 in total. Virginia appears on this list seven times, by far the most of any state. Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina appear on the list three times each.
There are 10 Midwestern counties where more than 7% of the population is made up of 18-34-year-old adults who moved there in 2019. Only six Western counties and one Northeastern county made the list.
It is not just young adults who are moving to the South — many retirees are heading to Southern cities for their warm weather and relatively low costs of living. A number of these major Southern cities have seen their populations grow by 15% or more due to net migration over the past decade. These are the cities Americans are flocking to.
Click here to see 40 places where young people are moving.
40. Kleberg County, Texas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 6.9% of population
> Median age: 28.3
> Median home value: $91,900
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 8.5%
> Largest place in the county: Kingsville
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39. Walker County, Texas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.0% of population
> Median age: 35.3
> Median home value: $152,300
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 7.7%
> Largest place in the county: Huntsville
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38. Ellis County, Kansas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.1% of population
> Median age: 32.5
> Median home value: $169,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 2.7%
> Largest place in the county: Hays
37. Crawford County, Kansas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.1% of population
> Median age: 32.5
> Median home value: $93,900
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.4%
> Largest place in the county: Pittsburg
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36. Coles County, Illinois
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.1% of population
> Median age: 35.7
> Median home value: $100,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.2%
> Largest place in the county: Charleston
35. Butts County, Georgia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.1% of population
> Median age: 38.6
> Median home value: $132,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.0%
> Largest place in the county: Jackson
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34. Vernon Parish, Louisiana
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.2% of population
> Median age: 30.4
> Median home value: $119,300
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.4%
> Largest place in the county: Fort Polk South
33. Albemarle County, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.2% of population
> Median age: 39.1
> Median home value: $356,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.0%
> Largest place in the county: Crozet
32. Teton County, Wyoming
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.2% of population
> Median age: 39.3
> Median home value: $866,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.9%
> Largest place in the county: Jackson
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31. Alexandria city, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.3% of population
> Median age: 36.8
> Median home value: $572,900
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.3%
> Largest place in the county: Alexandria
30. Richmond city, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.3% of population
> Median age: 34.0
> Median home value: $230,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.2%
> Largest place in the county: Richmond
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29. Gallatin County, Montana
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.3% of population
> Median age: 33.4
> Median home value: $357,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.0%
> Largest place in the county: Bozeman
28. Pickens County, South Carolina
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.5% of population
> Median age: 36.2
> Median home value: $147,700
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.1%
> Largest place in the county: Easley
27. Ingham County, Michigan
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.6% of population
> Median age: 32.0
> Median home value: $135,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.9%
> Largest place in the county: Lansing
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26. Washtenaw County, Michigan
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.6% of population
> Median age: 33.6
> Median home value: $263,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.7%
> Largest place in the county: Ann Arbor
25. Pitt County, North Carolina
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.6% of population
> Median age: 32.5
> Median home value: $148,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.1%
> Largest place in the county: Greenville
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24. Rowan County, Kentucky
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.8% of population
> Median age: 30.6
> Median home value: $124,200
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.5%
> Largest place in the county: Morehead
23. Jackson County, North Carolina
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.8% of population
> Median age: 37.7
> Median home value: $196,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.8%
> Largest place in the county: Cullowhee
22. Blue Earth County, Minnesota
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.9% of population
> Median age: 31.0
> Median home value: $184,800
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.1%
> Largest place in the county: Mankato
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21. Richland County, South Carolina
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.9% of population
> Median age: 33.4
> Median home value: $163,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.6%
> Largest place in the county: Columbia
20. Comanche County, Oklahoma
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 7.9% of population
> Median age: 33.0
> Median home value: $124,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.0%
> Largest place in the county: Lawton
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19. Arlington County, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.0% of population
> Median age: 34.7
> Median home value: $705,400
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.6%
> Largest place in the county: Arlington
18. Indiana County, Pennsylvania
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.0% of population
> Median age: 40.2
> Median home value: $121,100
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 7.4%
> Largest place in the county: Indiana
17. Fairfax city, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.0% of population
> Median age: 38.2
> Median home value: $560,400
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.9%
> Largest place in the county: Fairfax
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16. Broomfield County, Colorado
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.1% of population
> Median age: 37.8
> Median home value: $413,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.6%
> Largest place in the county: N/A
15. Tattnall County, Georgia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.2% of population
> Median age: 37.3
> Median home value: $89,200
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.5%
> Largest place in the county: Glennville
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14. Grand Forks County, North Dakota
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.2% of population
> Median age: 29.7
> Median home value: $206,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.3%
> Largest place in the county: Grand Forks
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13. Coryell County, Texas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.4% of population
> Median age: 31.8
> Median home value: $114,300
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.7%
> Largest place in the county: Copperas Cove
12. Liberty County, Georgia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.5% of population
> Median age: 28.4
> Median home value: $124,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.4%
> Largest place in the county: Hinesville
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11. Clark County, Arkansas
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.6% of population
> Median age: 33.7
> Median home value: $111,600
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.7%
> Largest place in the county: Arkadelphia
10. Christian County, Kentucky
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.7% of population
> Median age: 28.3
> Median home value: $117,400
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.6%
> Largest place in the county: Hopkinsville
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9. Pierce County, Wisconsin
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.7% of population
> Median age: 36.8
> Median home value: $208,700
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.9%
> Largest place in the county: River Falls
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8. Dunn County, Wisconsin
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 8.8% of population
> Median age: 34.7
> Median home value: $165,200
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 4.1%
> Largest place in the county: Menomonie
7. Orange County, North Carolina
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 9.0% of population
> Median age: 34.8
> Median home value: $308,800
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 3.7%
> Largest place in the county: Chapel Hill
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6. Coconino County, Arizona
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 9.6% of population
> Median age: 30.7
> Median home value: $280,900
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 8.7%
> Largest place in the county: Flagstaff
5. Johnson County, Missouri
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 9.8% of population
> Median age: 30.5
> Median home value: $156,500
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.2%
> Largest place in the county: Warrensburg
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4. Norfolk city, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 10.6% of population
> Median age: 30.7
> Median home value: $206,700
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 6.3%
> Largest place in the county: Norfolk
3. Fredericksburg city, Virginia
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 10.6% of population
> Median age: 30.4
> Median home value: $367,200
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.4%
> Largest place in the county: Fredericksburg
2. Kittitas County, Washington
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 11.0% of population
> Median age: 33.8
> Median home value: $286,900
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.6%
> Largest place in the county: Ellensburg
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1. Lassen County, California
> Young adults who arrived in the last year: 12.1% of population
> Median age: 36.6
> Median home value: $203,000
> Unemployment rate, June 2021: 5.7%
> Largest place in the county: Susanville
Methodology
To determine the 40 places where young people are moving, 24/7 Wall St. ranked all U.S. counties, county equivalents, and independent cities based on the number of 18 to 34-year-olds who moved to the area from a different county or country in 2019 as a share of the total county population using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Only counties with populations of at least 20,000 were considered.
To create a more diverse list of counties, we also excluded areas where either more than 20% of the population are is enrolled in college or graduate school or more than 15% of the population are is in the armed forces. Data on median age and home value also came from the ACS. All ACS data are five-year estimates. June 2021 unemployment rates are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not seasonally adjusted.
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