Drew Dixon
Three Florida cities were among the top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas people are moving to, according to a study released by a popular truck rental company.
“Settling In: A Consumer Moving Trends Survey” was published by Penske Truck Rental and compiled the top 10 moving destinations in America in 2023. The survey was based on one-way truck rentals last year.
It’s no secret that the population of Florida continues to increase at a rapid rate, and Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville are among the fastest growing cities drawing relocations from other areas. Orlando ranked seventh on the top 10 list with Tampa at ninth and Jacksonville coming in at No. 10.
Houston topped the list, with San Antonio placing second. In fact, Texas is the only state with more cities than Florida listed on the top 10 ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina, came in third.
Penske has been conducting the survey of moving destinations since 2010 and Florida and Texas are the only two states that have maintained a consistent presence.
“Since the list’s inception in 2010, Texas and Florida have maintained representation, while Midwestern states have since phased out,” the study concluded, as no Midwestern state made the top 10 ranking for relocations.
While Orlando and Jacksonville returned to the list of top 10 relocations this year, both saw a drop in their numerical ranking from the previous year. In 2022, Orlando was ranked the third most popular moving destination in the country, while Jacksonville came in at eighth.
Tampa returned to the top 10 list in 2023 after falling off for a few years.
“Florida gained new representation on this year’s list with the addition of Tampa, which has not ranked since 2020,” the study stated.
Many of the reasons for the relocations pointed to affordability and that leads to the continued popularity of Florida, which has no state income tax and a growing job market.
“Proximity to family (34%), lower cost of living (32%) and desire for more space (27%) were the biggest reasons that consumers were compelled to move over the past five years. Employment was a key driver of relocation to the top 10 moving destinations. Respondents from Nevada (40%), North Carolina (37%) and Georgia (39%) indicated that better job opportunities prompted their decisions to move,” the survey said.
Atlanta ranked fourth and Las Vegas rounded out the top 5 for relocations. Dallas placed sixth, with Austin, Texas, at No. 8.
