TEXAS — Dale, Texas, was the most popular spot to move to in America in October, according to a monthly report of America’s “hottest ZIP codes” released Nov. 14 by MovingPlace. Researchers tracked over 960,000 moves around the country in October.
Each month, researchers at MovingPlace rank booming ZIP codes based on data from millions of residential moves across America to highlight patterns in “population growth, suburban expansion, and regional hotspots,” according to the study.
Dale, whose zip code is 78616, is a little more than 30 miles outside of Austin. In between Austin and San Antonio, 78616 attracts people who want the best of both worlds – the serenity of a rural area with the proximity to a big city’s benefits, according to the study. Its location provides more space than a metropolitan area paired with a lower cost of living. The median house price in Dale was $369,000 in October.
That attraction, and therefore Dale’s “hotness,” is proven through what the study refers to as “moves per capita.” A moves per capita analysis allows less densely populated areas with a high volume of migration to stand out, according to the study. Dale saw 15.2 moves per capita this October.
Other areas of Texas stood out in the findings as well, through analyzing a ZIP code’s total move volume, the sheer amount of movement into an area. ZIP codes in Texas took home five out of the top 10 spots for total moves in October, all in the top seven.
New Braunfels (78130) took the No. 2 spot, with 354 moves, trailing only behind Washington, DC. At three, Leander (78641) saw 330 total moves, Cypress (77433) had 319 at No. 4, McKinney (75071) had 298 at No. 5 and Katy (77493) came in at No. 7 with 281 total moves.
Researchers also found 78741 in Austin and 78251 in San Antonio to have the third highest shifts in population spikes from September to October. Austin increased by 620%, and San Antonio increase by 645%. Those rates are the fourth and 10th highest in the country. The study attributes these dramatic shifts to the increasing influence of corporate and tech-driven jobs in both areas.
The report reflects a clear shift toward both affordability and space, especially in suburban Texas markets like Dale. According to the study, Americans “are now settling into their ‘next chapter’ cities” and are prioritizing cost of living.