Florida tops the list, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee, rounding out the top 5, with the Lone Star state in the 6th spot, according to a new consumer affairs report. Migration trends show more families want to plant roots in southern states including Texas. According to the study, the Lone Star State has almost 8,000 newcomers compared to less than 7,000 participants who said they have an interest in leaving.
Economist Ray Perryman points out the state’s business friendly environment. “Healthcare has created quite a few jobs. Texas has strengthened a lot of core manufacturing sectors- the chip sectors growing, the live science is growing. Even the data centers- there so massive, many of them are using 4-500 megawatts, so that they will create several hundred jobs even after the construction process.” He said.
The southern states offer more affordable housing compared to California and New York. “The cost of transportation- there is many aspects of the Texas situation that allows us to have a lower overall cost. If you have a lower overall cost of living that allows us to have lower overall cost, if you have affordability and job opportunities- those are extremely attractive.” Perryman said.
He says a lot of the growth is concentrated in the south. He says the migration census data has for a long time shown Texas leading the nation in population growth for these reasons.