The nation's population is shifting south.
The U.S. population center is on track this decade to swerve south. A first in history. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the South outgrew other regions in 2022 by well over a million people. The Northeast and the Midwest, on the other hand, are losing residents.
U-Haul says their top growth states are Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas. Charles Blain, president of Urban Reform, says those states have something in common: relatively low taxes, low regulation, and business-friendly policies.
“I think people look at the end of the month or the end of the year and see how much they’re paying to live in one of the coastal cities or somewhere else,” Blain explained. “Then they do an equation and see what the cost of living could look like in other places and what opportunities could lie ahead, and it makes it an easy decision for them.”
Blain says Americans moving to the South has been a trend for years, and likely to remain one for years to come.