Gen Z and millennials are both moving to Texas cities, but for different reasons

Gen Z and millennial movers are flocking to Texas cities en masse. halbergman/Getty Images San Antonio takes the cake as the most popular migration destination for Gen Z movers.

Texas cities, such as Austin, Dallas, and Houston, are also attractive to Gen Z and millennials.

Affordability rules all, but Texas's edge is its job opportunities.

Brant Eckert thought he couldn't make his fresh-out-of-college $60,000 salary work in New York City, so he moved to San Antonio.

It's a move that other Zoomers are making, too.

Texas has been a beacon for those looking for an affordable lifestyle for years, but the latest bunch of Lone-Star movers aren't quite like the last.

Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather told Business Insider that the pandemic movers of the early 2020s were bringing their coastal salaries with them due to the rise in remote work and were looking to stretch their dollars.

However, more recently, Texas has been luring younger movers looking for early-career opportunities.

"They're probably not choosing based on remote work, because those entry-level jobs tend to be more in-person, or at least hybrid," Fairweather said.

"They're not thinking about 'Where can I take my salary and where it will go the furthest?' They're thinking, 'Where do I want to start my career?'" Dallas.

Kruck20/Getty Images Redfin analyzed US Census data and found that millennial and Gen Z movers are choosing Texas cities more than anywhere else.

San Antonio, for example, had the highest net migration among Gen Z movers, at 10,678 residents.

From 2014 to 2024, Texas cities claimed three of the top five spots, with Austin and Dallas both posting gains in the thousands.

In a separate report , Redfin and Glassdoor ranked cities for new grads, with Dallas, Houston, and Austin included in the top 10.