How popular is Florida? Google study says folks in these states are interested in moving here

Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

Florida saw more new residents than any other state in 2022 and recent studies suggest that it has continued to be one of the most popular states to move to in 2023.

With the continuous wave of new residents flocking to Florida and all of the problems that have come with it, some who have called the Sunshine State home for longer are looking to leave. But which states are enticing Floridians to leave the state’s sky-high cost of housing, inflation rates and insurance crisis?

A recent study released by real estate marketing company Hypewired analyzed Google searches that included phrases like “move to,” “relocate to,” and “homes in” for each state to find the most popular relocation destinations for each one.

Here’s which states Floridians are most interested in relocating to, and from which states Florida was searched most when looking at a move.

South Florida real estate update: Home prices in Palm Beach County increase despite insurance, interest rate concerns

Where are Floridians relocating to?

According to Zillow data collected for the Hypewired study on most-desirable states to move to, the average cost for a house in Florida hovers around $392,000.

Here are the top three states Floridians are most interested in moving to, based on Google search data:

  1. North Carolina, where the average cost for a home is around $321,000.

  2. Texas, where the average cost for a home is around $302,000.

  3. Georgia, where the average cost for a home is around $319,000.

Who is moving to Florida?

In 2022, most people moving to Florida came from New York. And although Hypewired’s study showed Florida as New Yorkers’ first choice, Rhode Island had the highest amount of searches related to moving to Florida.

For Rhode Islanders, Florida’s housing market is cheaper. The average price for a home in Rhode Island is around $436,000.

Here are the top three states that had the highest volume of searches related to moving to Florida:

  1. Rhode Island

  2. Maine

  3. New Hampshire

Both Rhode Island and New Hampshire are less affordable than Florida when it comes to buying a house, but Maine’s average price for a house is 0.6% lower than Florida’s.

Is Florida the most popular state to move to?

According to a July study by moving company SelfStorage and Hypewired’s findings Florida is still the most-desired state to move to in 2023.

Here are the 23 states where Google search data reflects Florida as the number one most-desired place to move to:

  • Alabama

  • Colorado

  • Delaware

  • Georgia

  • Illinois

  • Indiana

  • Iowa

  • Kentucky

  • Maryland

  • Michigan

  • Minnesota

  • Missouri

  • New Jersey

  • New York

  • North Carolina

  • Ohio

  • Oklahoma

  • South Carolina

  • South Dakota

  • Tennessee

  • Virginia

  • West Virginia

  • Wisconsin

Why are so many people moving to Florida?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida’s population increased by almost 2% from July 2021 to July 2022.

It’s hard to measure what the biggest draw is for incoming residents, but since most come to Florida from much colder climates, so it’s safe to assume weather is a part of it. Lower cost of living or housing costs could also be a factor for those moving from more expensive states like New York or Rhode Island. And Florida not having a state income tax probably doesn’t hurt.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Moving to Florida tops on Google searchers lists in these 23 states