Top destinations for Gen Z and millennial movers revealed
New York to Philadelphia and Los Angeles to San Diego ranked second and third. New York registered the largest Gen Z net outflow nationally at nearly 29,600, a reminder that even the country’s largest job center loses its pull when housing costs reach extremes.
Top 5 migration routes for Gen Z
| # | Route | Net movers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA → Riverside, CA | 10,261 |
| 2 | New York, NY → Philadelphia, PA | 9,284 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA → San Diego, CA | 9,237 |
| 4 | Minneapolis, MN → St. Cloud, MN | 8,239 |
| 5 | Riverside, CA → Los Angeles, CA | 8,101 |
Source: Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 1-year microdata, 2024
Top 5 migration routes for millennials
| # | Route | Net movers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA → Riverside, CA | 19,983 |
| 2 | Washington, DC → Baltimore, MD | 11,343 |
| 3 | San Jose, CA → San Francisco, CA | 11,302 |
| 4 | Riverside, CA → Los Angeles, CA | 10,073 |
| 5 | New York, NY → Philadelphia, PA | 8,518 |
Source: Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 1-year microdata, 2024
The LA–Riverside corridor is the most common route for both generations — but millennials made that move at nearly twice the rate of Gen Z (19,983 vs. 10,261 movers in 2024). Both generations are reshuffling within existing regions rather than making cross-country jumps.
Millennials move for price, not prestige
For millennials, affordability is the primary driver. Houston logged the highest millennial net inflow of any metro nationally, drawing more than 16,300 net arrivals, followed by Dallas, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Atlanta.
All five markets carry a median home-sale price below $450,000, a clear gravitational threshold for buyers seeking space without sacrificing employment access, according to the Redfin report.
The trend echoes what brokers have observed firsthand. Earlier Mortgage Professional America coverage of millennials fleeing mounting affordability pressures in large cities found the cohort increasingly pragmatic about location.
Mark Worthington, a branch manager at Churchill Mortgage in the US, previously told Mortgage Professional America that millennial buyers are being “extremely cautious,” a disposition now shaping which cities they pursue, not just which properties.
