A new study from U.S. News & World Report found that Phoenix is the No. 3 city people are moving to from another city, which is from West Des Moines, Iowa. The top two are New York City to Los Angeles followed by the reverse, Los Angeles to New York City. The study ranked the top 50 city-to-city pathways in the country.
Similarly, Arizona was the eighth most popular state to move to in 2024 according to U-Haul. South Carolina was No. 1, followed by Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. The only Democratic state to crack the top 10 was Washington at No. 7. Almost all of the bottom 10 were Democratic states.
The U.S. News study also found, “The Sun Belt is the most popular region of the U.S. based on interest in city-to-city migration paths.”
However, the number of people moving to Arizona declined between 2022 and 2023, likely due to the state’s shift to Democratic leadership. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who entered office in 2023, issued a record number of vetoes, stopping numerous conservative and pro-business bills from being enacted into law. According to U.S. Census data compiled by Consumer Affairs, 282,729 moved to the state in 2022, but dropped 9.38 percent in 2023 to 256,203 new residents.
Arizona still saw gains overall, with only 193,670 moving out in 2023. Approximately 60 percent of the new growth was in Maricopa County, while Pinal County had the state’s highest growth rate at 12.6 percent. The Town of Queen Creek, which is located in both Maricopa and Pinal counties, grew by 28.6 percent between 2023 and 2024. Both Pinal County and Queen Creek are heavily Republican areas.
In contrast, the Democratic stronghold of Tucson isn’t in the top five cities or towns people are moving to in Arizona, an indication most of the new residents aren’t Democrats.
A study conducted earlier this year by LendingTree found that 48 percent of Americans considering moving cite political climate as a reason. Additionally, 43 percent said they were willing to spend more to live in a place that more closely matches their political ideals and values. That number increased among the younger generations, with 61 percent of Gen Z and 53 percent of Millennials expressing this sentiment.
A Redfin survey revealed that 32 percent of real estate agents had at least one client who moved primarily because of local laws or politics in 2023. Redfin stated, “[M]any conservative states have policies that attract business-minded residents, like lower taxes and fewer restrictions on companies.”
Due to Arizona’s pro-business state legislature, the state often ranks in the top 10 states for business climate. Jagran Josh ranked Arizona the sixth best state for workers in 2025 based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Ahead of it were all but one Republican state: Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington. CNBC ranked Arizona 12th for business in 2025, behind mostly Republican states.
A primary reason studies find that people move to Arizona is job growth, which was over 2.1 percent in 2023 according to the BLS, outpacing states like California and New York as one of the top 10 states for job growth. Arizona has 10 Fortune 500 companies along with growing tech and healthcare sectors. Living in Arizona is affordable with its low .63 percent property tax rate.
The sunny climate, outdoor recreation, and land availability on Phoenix’s outskirts appeal to movers, particularly retirees and young professionals.
Most of those who move are young people. According to a StorageCafe analysis of U.S. Census data, those who move state to state consist of only 11 percent of Baby Boomers and 12 percent of Gen X. In contrast, 29 percent of those moving are Millennials and 29 percent are Gen Z. Arizona is the second top destination for Gen Z.
California sends the most residents to Arizona, primarily coming from Los Angeles, followed by Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois, and Florida. The top cities of origin after Los Angeles are Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Albuquerque, Portland (OR), El Paso, Houston, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area. International arrivals accounted for about 25 percent of Arizona’s new residents in 2023.
Phoenix is the nation’s fifth largest city. Arizona’s population now exceeds 7.4 million, making it the 14th largest state in the U.S. A poll conducted earlier this year found that conservative Republican Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) is leading in the gubernatorial race over both his primary opponent and Hobbs.