This State Was Just Named the Most Popular Place to Move in 2025—and It Has Beaches, Charming Towns, and Mountains

Known for its beautiful islands, beaches, and lowcountry charm, it’s no wonder South Carolina attracts tons of residents. And the Palmetto State was just ranked the top state in the country for moves for 2025.

The ranking was according to a moving trends report by moveBuddha, an online platform to help people plan a move, and represented South Carolina’s sixth consecutive year on the top of the list. In fact, the report found people in South Carolina showed more than double the interest in moving to the state than leaving.

With a rare combination of mountains and beaches, incredible food cities, and mild winter temperatures, the state continues to attract new residents.

“Despite a recent uptick, this year’s drag on home sales is showing up in moving patterns, too,” moveBuddha wrote in its report. “Yet, there are still those who are pulling the trigger. They’re aiming for buyer-friendly states and suburban enclaves where a mortgage won’t break the bank.”

The appeal of mid-sized metros with an abundance of nearby nature also seems to be a winning combination. South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach was named the top city to move to for 2025, renowned for its incredible beaches, wildlife spotting, amazing golf courses, and more. For every outbound move there, the city welcomed 2.41 inbound moves, according to the report.

Myrtle Beach was followed by Wilmington, North Carolina; Vancouver, Washington; Greenville, South Carolina; and Clearwater, Florida.

As for the state that led in total inbound volume, that honor belonged to South Carolina’s neighbor to the north: North Carolina. The Tar Heel state was responsible for 17.5 percent of all net in-migration searches, according to the report.

Beyond the Carolinas, the survey noted Wisconsin saw the largest increase in interest from movers. The Badger state—known for its incredible Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, picturesque cities, and quaint lakeside villages—saw a 79 percent increase in inbound searches compared to 2024.

Wisconsin was followed by Mississippi, which saw a 55 percent increase in searches, and fellow Midwestern state Minnesota, which saw a 40 percent increase in searches.

On the other end of the spectrum was California, which had the highest exit rate in the country. However, when compared to 2024, searches to leave did drop by half. Other states with high exit rates had similarly dense populations, including New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Maryland. Washington D.C. also faced a high exit rate, according to the report.

To come up with its findings, the company analyzed 160,000 searches this year using its moving cost calculator.