Americans have plenty of different reasons to move. Sometimes they relocate out of necessity, to find space for a growing family or to start a new job, and sometimes people choose to try putting down roots in a different location.
A desire for new or better housing was the most popular reason for moving in 2023 among the middle class, according to a HireAHelper.com analysis of Census Bureau data.
Just under 9% of American households in the middle 60% of earners — those making between $30,000 and $150,000 a year — moved in 2023, the study found. Of those, almost 14% said they did so because they wanted new or better housing, and around 10% said they went in search of a more affordable place to live.
While over half (57%) of the middle-income households who moved stayed in the same county, nearly 25% moved to a different county in the same state. About 18% moved across state lines, HireAHelper says.
Regardless of their reasons, middle-earners moved to Florida in droves: Five of the 10 metros with the largest gains in middle-income folks are located in the Sunshine State. Port St. Lucie, Florida, saw the fastest increase of middle-class residents. That population grew by 88% there, HireAHelper finds.
Here are the 10 places with the largest net gains in middle income residents in 2023:
Florida may be particularly attractive for middle-class Americans due to its lack of state income tax and lower cost of living relative to other coastal states.
But while a fairly booming economy earned it the No. 5 spot on CNBC’s 2024 Best States for Business ranking, a rising cost of living — due largely to skyrocketing home insurance costs — has weakened the state’s reputation for affordability.
A single adult without children would need to make about $46,000 a year to live comfortably in Port St. Lucie, according to estimates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator. That’s well below the $59,400 median annual wage U.S. workers earn in 2024, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Florida routinely ranks as a top destination for retirees, and Port St. Lucie may be especially attractive for older Americans. More than 1 in 5 residents there are over age 65, according to the Census Bureau.
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