migration patterns

Oct 3

Gen Z reverses the California exodus, while boomers flee to the Carolinas

U-Haul's migration data shows a sharp generational split in American relocation patterns. Younger cohorts are moving into California and Texas despite the states' overall population losses, suggesting they're clustering in high-opportunity metros rather than fleeing them. Older generations are leaving those same cities for lower-cost alternatives. This matters for where consumer spending power and labor competition will concentrate: Gen Z is choosing expensive, congested coastal and Sun Belt metros over the alternatives their parents pursued. That choice reflects either greater tolerance for density and urban amenities or structural lock-in to opportunity clusters that older generations have already left.