Gen Z is choosing Texas for their first post-grad stop. In the past, rankings have put cities like Dallas above San Antonio for how many young people are moving there, but a new ranking says the Alamo City is beating even the Big Apple for Gen Z movers.
According to a Redfin ranking, San Antonio was the top destination for Gen Z movers in 2024. Redfin is a real estate brokerage and property search platform powered by Rocket Mortgage. It says the 210 gained a net 10,678 residents in the age group spanning individuals born between 1997 and 2012. Of course, opinions differ on generational cutoffs, but the 14-29 age range seems commonly agreed upon for Gen Z.
Other Texas cities were named, including Austin in the No. 3 spot with a net increase of 8,590 Gen Z residents and Dallas at No. 5, adding 6,944. The ranking notes that a separate analysis of the best places for recent college grads ranked Dallas fourth and Austin 10th. Washington, D.C. topped that previous list but scored No. 2 in the Gen Z destinations ranking.
Why Gen Z is ‘Choosin’ Texas’ and San Antonio in particular
It’s not hard to see why the Lone Star State would be attractive – they’re heading to “metros with plenty of job opportunities for people early in their careers, along with lively social scenes,” the ranking states. One recent WalletHub study placed Texas in the No. 1 spot for finding a job, while Austin has made lists of cities with unmatched nightlife. But Texas, for all its charms, doesn’t rank very highly for dating unless you live in the Capital City.
One surprising (or unsurprising) piece of data revealed by the Redfin ranking isn’t just that San Antonio topped the larger Dallas and Houston and the trendier Austin. It also beat New York City, which lost 29,554 Gen Z residents in 2024, according to the ranking. In fact, the Big Apple lost more Gen Z residents than any other metro, followed by Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Denver and Detroit.
Redfin says that suggests “young Americans are increasingly prioritizing affordability and lower housing costs over traditional big-city hubs.” For comparison, the average monthly rent in the Texas cities leading the list ($1,600 in San Antonio; $1,990 in Austin and $1,944 in Dallas, per Zillow) is significantly cheaper than the cities at the bottom ($3,606 in New York City, for example). As Gen Z lacks some of the spending power of older generations, it’s no shocker that affordability in cities with potential to grow a community takes priority over struggling in a shoebox apartment as long as it’s in NYC.
This article originally published at Gen Z picks San Antonio over New York City, surprising new ranking says.