As the state’s population grows, so does the need for more housing. Here are the data and tools you need to keep up with housing market trends in your area.
Whether you’re talking about DFW’s financial services industry, Austin’s tech sector, Houston’s energy corridor, or the medical hub that is San Antonio, commercial real estate is big business in Texas.
Mineral rights. Water issues. Wildlife management and conservation. Eminent domain. The number of factors driving Texas land markets is as big as the state itself. Here’s information that can help.
Center research is fueled by accurate, high-quality, up-to-date data acquired from such sources as Texas MLSs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data and reports included here are free.
Stay current on the latest happenings around the Center and the state with our news releases, NewsTalk Texas online searchable news database, and more.
We offer a number of educational opportunities throughout the year, including our popular Outlook for Texas Land Markets conference. Check here for updates.
Established in 1971, the Texas Real Estate Research Center is the nation’s largest publicly funded organization devoted to real estate research. Learn more about our history here and meet our team.
Texas Domestic Migration: County Gains and Declines
Each year, Texas sees an influx of domestic migration from various states. Many of these newcomers settle in different parts of the state, primarily in the more populous counties.
By
Mallika Natarajan
Each year, Texas sees an influx of domestic migration from various states. Many of these newcomers settle in different parts of the state, primarily in the more populous counties.
Within-state migration can be just as significant, but it tends to receive less attention than state-to-state migration.
Movement between Texas counties represents a significant portion of overall relocations, but even more substantial are the moves occurring within the same county. As a result, the demographic composition of a county is continually changing. Using the IRS dataset from 2016-22, we will look at both different-state and same-state (county-to-county) migration for Texas’ four largest counties: Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Travis.
Out-of-state migration to Texas grew 7 to 9 percent for these four counties from 2020 to 2021 (Figure 1). However, in 2022, growth decreased for both Bexar and Travis Counties while Harris and Dallas Counties continued to see significant growth.
Meanwhile, in-state (county-to-county) moves almost always accounted for at least 50 percent of all moves to these counties each year (Figure 2). Harris County had the highest volume of both in-state and out-of-state migration inflows.
Analyzing the net inflow of movers from both out of state and from within the state reveals an interesting pattern (Figure 3). Even when accounting for Texans relocating to other states, the net inflow (move-ins to these counties from another state minus move-outs from these counties to another state) remains positive, ranging from 9K to 22K out-of-state moves to these counties in the years following 2020. As expected, in-state migration numbers are substantially higher than those for out-of-state moves.
Additionally, the number of people moving out of a county surpasses those moving in, leading to a net negative inflow (moves in from other Texas counties minus moves out of the county). There are more residents in these counties going to other Texas counties than there are residents coming to them. Notably, Harris and Dallas Counties have the highest number of residents moving to other Texas counties, a trend observed consistently from 2016 to 2022.
The average income of out-of-state movers is higher than that of in-state movers. However, there is a significant variation in income levels, with Travis and Dallas Counties attracting movers with notably higher incomes. The difference between average out-of-state income and average in-state income is always positive in all years and in all counties except Bexar (Figure 4).
Travis and Dallas Counties have a higher concentration of movers in high-paying industries like technology, finance, and healthcare. These movers may possess higher education levels, more specialized skills, and higher incomes and are moving to take advantage of job opportunities and cost-of-living advantages in Texas. Some are relocating from high-income areas on the East and West Coasts, and the higher salaries may be skewing the average income upward for Travis and Dallas Counties.
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As the state’s population grows, so does the need for more housing. Here are the data and tools you need to keep up with housing market trends in your area.
Whether you’re talking about DFW’s financial services industry, Austin’s tech sector, Houston’s energy corridor, or the medical hub that is San Antonio, commercial real estate is big business in Texas.
Mineral rights. Water issues. Wildlife management and conservation. Eminent domain. The number of factors driving Texas land markets is as big as the state itself. Here’s information that can help.
Center research is fueled by accurate, high-quality, up-to-date data acquired from such sources as Texas MLSs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data and reports included here are free.
Stay current on the latest happenings around the Center and the state with our news releases, NewsTalk Texas online searchable news database, and more.
We offer a number of educational opportunities throughout the year, including our popular Outlook for Texas Land Markets conference. Check here for updates.
Established in 1971, the Texas Real Estate Research Center is the nation’s largest publicly funded organization devoted to real estate research. Learn more about our history here and meet our team.