But here’s where the story gets interesting.

While the national average tells us that most interstate movers rent initially, some metro areas are clearly defying that trend. In markets like Daphne–Fairhope–Foley, Alabama; Naples–Marco Island, Florida; Ocala, Florida; Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, North Carolina; and Rockford, Illinois, well over half of interstate movers become homeowners right away—in some cases, more than 70%.

What these markets have in common is a combination of relative affordability, available housing stock, and strong in-migration. For many movers, especially those relocating from higher-cost areas, buying a home is easier in these markets. It’s also not a coincidence that many of these markets are well-known retirement destinations. For older adults, moving often comes with built-in equity from a previous home sale. This matters because it helps explain why local housing conditions can look so different from national headlines.

Nationally, affordability pressures are still very real. For many households, especially younger movers or those facing higher borrowing costs, renting provides flexibility, time to learn a new market, or an opportunity to save. The data shows that the farther the move, the more common this renting-first trend becomes. But at the local level, the story changes.

For REALTORS®, this is critical. Interstate movers are not a single group, and their housing choices depend significantly on where they move. In some markets, movers represent future buyers. In others, they are buyers right away. Even after major market shifts, from the housing crash to the pandemic surge, interstate movers have consistently hovered around the same level over time. What changes is where those buyers show up. Understanding how people move and how they choose to live when they get there provides a clearer picture of local housing demand.