- Johnson City, Tennessee, is the most desired destination to move to in the U.S., according to a report by MoveBuddha.
- The university town is located an hour north of Asheville, North Carolina, in the Appalachian foothills, and offers an abundance of outdoor recreation.
- Johnson City was followed by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (second) and Summerville, South Carolina (third).
Americans are making major moves this year. And apparently we’re all looking to move to the same spots.
In March, MoveBuddha released its list of the top trending cities for movers across the U.S., forecasting where people will move from and to in 2025. The company considered internal data collected from its Moving Cost Calculator, analyzing searches made from July 2024 to March 2025 with a “planned move date” at any point in 2025.
Johnson City in Tennessee emerged as the most desired destination in the U.S.
According to MoveBuddha, the city, which is home to 100,000 residents and is located just an hour north of Asheville, North Carolina, “is a university town nestled in the Appalachian foothills near the famed multi-state hiking trail, where mountain biking, camping, and fishing lakes beckon.”
Johnson City was followed by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Summerville, South Carolina; St. George, Utah; and Fairbanks, Alaska.
“These cities suggest movers are particularly drawn to smaller cities with outdoor and scenic appeal,” the company shared. “Meanwhile, interest in Duluth, Georgia, Summerville, South Carolina, and Gulfport, Mississippi, suggests plenty of interest in suburban enclaves away from larger cities.”
The company also noted that affordability seemed to be top of mind for all 2025 potential movers, as 26 of the 50 top cities it analyzed had an average home price under the national average.
“Some top cities are relatively cheap: Johnson City, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; Shreveport, Louisiana; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Kingman, Arizona, for example, all boast home prices under $300,000,” it shared. “That’s not only under the national average, but it also comes alongside desirable living conditions, whether it’s Johnson City and Fairbanks’ outdoor access or Huntsville’s thriving job market.”
MoveBuddha noted that not everyone using their Moving Cost Calculator will actually make that final move. “We won’t know for sure where today’s movers really go until 2025’s census data becomes available in the spring of 2026, but their interest can tell us a lot about their dreams and plans for the coming year before they even move,” the website explained. Hawaii was excluded from this year’s data.
See the complete report at movebuddha.com.
