As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly fades into memory, people are changing their minds about where they want to live.
When the pandemic was raging — and many Americans were discovering the flexibility offered by remote work for the first time — the South and West attracted large numbers of new residents.
But a new trend is now underway, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
In a summary of the findings, Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch, says:
“Areas which experienced high levels of domestic out-migration during the pandemic, such as in the Midwest and Northeast, are now seeing more counties with population growth.”
By contrast, population growth is slowing in the West, Bowers adds. Here are the U.S. counties losing the most residents to other parts of the nation — and five that are gaining the most folks from other parts of America.
Santa Clara County, California
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 29,077
- 2022: 33,302
Santa Clara County is located smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley. About 1.9 million people live in the county, and nearly one-quarter of the population is Hispanic.
San Diego County, California
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 30,745
- 2022: 15,956
San Diego County ranks No. 2 in California for population, with 3.3 million residents. It is the fifth most populous county in the U.S. This is another county with a large Hispanic population, with 37% of people under the age of 18 sharing that ethnic background.
Dallas County, Texas
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 34,330
- 2022: 18,985
Dallas County is located in north-central Texas and is home to 2.6 million residents. Dallas is the biggest city in the county and the second-biggest in Texas.
Orange County, California
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 35,597
- 2022: 27,681
Orange County, the southern neighbor of Los Angeles County, is home to 3.1 million people, including many celebrities. Many large corporations also have headquarters in its cities, which include Anaheim and Huntington Beach.
Bronx County, New York
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 41,473
- 2022: 61,394
Bronx County has a population of almost 1.4 million. Contiguous with the Borough of the Bronx in New York City, it is the third most densely populated county in the U.S., even though one-quarter of the county is open space.
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 47,597
- 2022: 38,132
Miami-Dade County is home to 2.7 million residents. More than half the Florida county’s population — 54% — is foreign-born.
Queens County, New York
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 50,161
- 2022: 77,029
Queens County holds the easternmost of New York City’s five boroughs, Queens, which is the largest in terms of area. The county’s population is 2.3 million.
Kings County, New York
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 55,308
- 2022: 78,188
Kings County is home to the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and was founded by the Dutch as “Breuckelen.” The county is home to 2.6 million people.
Cook County, Illinois
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 58,105
- 2022: 94,927
With 5.1 million residents, Cook County is the second-most-populous county in the United States. The city of Chicago is part of the county.
Los Angeles County, California
Net number of residents who moved from this county to another U.S. county in:
- 2023: 119,037
- 2022: 143,724
Los Angeles County is by far the biggest county in the U.S. A whopping 9.7 million people live here, more than one-quarter of California’s population.
At 4,084 square miles, it is also one of the largest counties in land area.
Counties gaining the most residents
The counties that gained the largest numbers of residents from other U.S. counties in 2023 are:
- Polk County, Florida: 26,029
- Montgomery County, Texas: 25,501
- Pasco County, Florida: 23,750
- Collin County, Texas: 20,749
- Denton County, Texas: 19,262
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