The Politics of Moving: 2025 Edition

There’s red states and blue states - so which will you move to? We reviewed our latest moving data to see which states were the most (and least) popular destinations, and we checked to see how those states voted in the latest presidential election.

Key Takeaways:

• Blue states: California, New York, and Illinois were the most popular blue states by sheer arrivals. However, they also ranked in the top 10 for departures - 12.76% of all state-to-state moves were leaving California.
• Red states: 58.17% of our total state to state moves went to red states. Of our top 10 destinations, 7 of 10 voted red in 2024. Leaders? Texas, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
• Between 2020 and 2024, Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania all saw high numbers of state-to-state arrivals. They also flipped red in the 2024 election.

People aren’t just moving because they want a change of scenery or cheaper housing. With the divided political climate of the United States, some folks are making a change that matches with their voting habits.

To build this study, we analyzed our own moving database to discover new moving trends. iMoving has completed thousands of moves between 2022 and 2025, which gave us a more detailed picture of where people were moving when they decided to leave their home states.

Once we had our state to state moving analysis, we compared it with voter turnout in the two most-recent presidential elections. This provided a “before” and “after” view of how American migration patterns affect voting and elections.

Before we jump into where Americans decided to move, we should revisit the most-recent two elections. As you probably remember, this is what the election map looked like in 2020:

Moving ahead a couple of years, this is what the election map looked like in 2024:

Between 2020 and 2024, these states flipped from blue to red:

• Arizona
• Georgia
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin

Everyone knows who won these elections. But what did moving have to do with it? Our state-to-state moving records showed where Americans were moving, and whether they took their voting habits with them…

When combined with the election maps, our moving data highlights an interesting correlation between state-to-state moving and election turnout. For a refresher, these are the states that flipped between 2020 and 2024:

• Arizona
• Georgia
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin

These states flipped red, and also experienced high arrivals:

• Arizona
• Georgia
• Pennsylvania

What does this tell us? According to our moving data, state to state migration is skewed towards red states, and away from blue states. And if the difference in election turnout is any indication, new transplants may not be bringing their old voting habits with them. 

It’s an important question: Are Californians voting like Californians when they move to new states? And by extension, are all blue staters voting blue when they change states? If the moving data is any indication, not really.

It’s hard to nail down why Americans are moving, but the data collected by iMoving shows us what happens after they move. Whether red states are gaining more people due to their personal politics, a lower cost of living, or any other factor is difficult to say. But we can tell from election data and American moving patterns that not all transplants vote in line with their home state’s policies.

At iMoving, we have access to up-to-the-minute moving data, and statistics from thousands of completed moves under our belts. If you’re interested in seeing other studies we’ve compiled on the moving industry, take a look at these:

• Where Are Migrants Moving? (And Are Americans Leaving Town?) - A look at international and domestic migration patterns
• American Moving Trends from 2023 to 2025 - A more comprehensive look at popular states, counties, cities, and moving routes through the years
• Moving for Nightlife? Here’s How Much it Costs to Live in America’s Party Cities - A study on the cost of living in America’s top 10 cities for nightlife

iMoving is an online moving marketplace that connects customers with the best moving companies for their needs. Our platform allows guests to shop for movers, compare live prices, and book a move from the comfort of their web browser. No house calls, no phone calls - just great movers, vetted by our own team.

We’re committed to revolutionizing the way people move, and that means providing studies and articles on all the latest trends in the moving industry. Keep an eye out for more data-driven content (and a few protips from our team, too)!

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