The Brief<\/p>\n
Fewer people are moving to Texas than in recent years, a new study says.<\/p>\n
Texas has fallen out of the top 10 U.S. destinations for inbound moves.<\/p>\n
Frisco remains a top draw, while Arlington ranks high for people leaving.<\/p>\n
AUSTIN, Texas – The trend of moving from other states to Texas that’s dominated the last decade is seeing a downward trend, a new study has found.<\/p>\n
The Lone Star State has dropped out of the top 10 destinations in the U.S., falling further toward the middle of the pack since the migration peak of 2021.<\/p>\n
Texas migration data<\/p>\n
Big picture view<\/p>\n
While it’s become commonplace to hear there’s a mass exodus from California to Texas in recent years, new data is showing that trend to continue a multi-year cooling streak.<\/p>\n
The ratio of Texas’ in-to-out migration within the U.S. peaked in 2021, when 1.68 people were arriving in relation to each person leaving, which resulted in a sizable boom in the state’s population, especially in the metro areas.<\/p>\n
Now, moveBuddha<\/a> says its moving calculator has shown that trend to have dropped to a much lower positive ratio. As of the first quarter of 2026, Texas is sitting closer to a 1.2 ratio, slightly higher than the recent low of 1.15 in 2023. Texas now sits as the 17th-highest in-to-out state in the nation, far from the top-10 berth it secured a few years back.<\/p>\n For comparison, California’s ratio somewhat mimics Texas in reverse, having gone from a 0.48 ratio in 2021 to 0.71 today.<\/p>\n