At least 27 million Americans have relocated each year since the government began record keeping in 1948. The reasons any one person or family may decide to move are often personal. These include being closer to relatives, starting a new relationship, or needing a larger home.

However, many parts of the country offer advantages with more universal appeal, and some of these places have seen a population boom in the last year. 

Using metro area level data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, 24/7 Wall St. identified the cities bringing in the most people. Metro areas were ranked based on the percentage change in population due to net migration from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Data was aggregated from the county level to the metropolitan level using metropolitan statistical area definitions for July 2023 from the Census Bureau.

The number of people who moved to each of the 50 metro areas on this list between July 2021 and June 2022 is larger than the number who moved out by anywhere from about 1,400 to over 128,000. In some cases, this amounted to a population increase of well over 4%, not factoring in population change from births or deaths. While domestic migration accounted for the bulk of new residents in the cities on this list, all but one have also had a net gain in international migrants as well. (Here is a look at the best U.S. cities for immigrants, according to data.) 

Some portion of Americans who move each year do so to be in a better climate, and many of the metro areas on this list have warm temperatures year-round. Of the 50 cities on this list, 39 are located in the South, including 18 in Florida alone. Meanwhile, only three cities on this list are in the Midwest and none are in the Northeast. 

Financial incentives may also be a pull factor in many of these places. Including the 18 metro areas in Florida, the four in Texas, and the three in Tennessee, over half of the cities on this list are in states that do not levy a personal income tax. (This is where Americans are paying the most in state and local taxes.)

Click here to see the cities gaining the most people.