Where Should I Move To? How to Find the Best Place to Live

3. See where Americans are actually moving

Migration trends can give you ideas about places worth researching, but they shouldn’t determine your destination.

United Van Lines’ 2025 study found that the top inbound states among those meeting its minimum move threshold were:

1. Oregon
2. West Virginia
3. South Carolina
4. Delaware
5. Minnesota
6. Idaho
7. North Carolina
8. Arkansas
9. Alabama
10. Nevada

The study also identified a shift toward smaller cities and towns. Meanwhile, longtime migration magnets Texas and Florida were classified as “balanced” in 2025, meaning United handled roughly comparable shares of inbound and outbound moves in those states.

There’s an important caveat: These rankings reflect interstate household moves handled by the United Van Lines network. They aren’t a comprehensive Census count of everyone who moved between states.

Think of migration data as inspiration rather than a recommendation.

4. Compare “best states to live” for ideas

“Best places to live” rankings can also be helpful when you’re building a shortlist, especially when you understand why a particular location scores well.

WalletHub’s latest Best States to Live In ranking places these states at the top:

1. Idaho
2. New Jersey
3. Wisconsin
4. Massachusetts
5. New Hampshire
6. Wyoming
7. Utah
8. Minnesota
9. Pennsylvania
10. Florida

WalletHub compares states across five broad categories: affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety.

But the underlying rankings reveal why you shouldn’t simply pick the top-ranked states.

Idaho, for example, ranks first overall but 10th for affordability. New Jersey, meanwhile, ranks second overall but 49th for affordability.

The point: a place can rank exceptionally well overall while performing poorly on the factor that matters most to you. Use national rankings to discover possibilities, then research those possibilities according to your own priorities.

5. Research your finalists beyond the rankings

Once you’ve narrowed your options to a handful of places, dig deeper.

Start with housing. Look at what your actual budget buys rather than relying on a state’s or city’s median home price. A metro area may appear affordable overall, while the neighborhoods that fit your commute or lifestyle are considerably more expensive.

Then investigate:

• Local job opportunities and typical salaries
• Housing, taxes, and overall cost of living
• Homeowners insurance and natural disaster risks
• Schools and healthcare
• Transportation, commute times, and airport access
• Restaurants, shopping, parks, and recreation

Calvo points out that highly personal considerations can make the difference between a place that looks good on paper and one that’s actually a good fit.

For example, someone who regularly needs specialized medical care may prioritize proximity to a major hospital. An avid cyclist might care about trail access. Someone who flies frequently for work might quickly regret moving two hours from a major airport.

Research the life you’d actually live there.

Calvo says this is where an experienced local real estate agent can help, even if you’re just exploring an area.

“For people itching for change from where they’ve been living, this is where we, as professionals, can provide the most help.”

6. Visit before you commit

If possible, Calvo recommends you spend time in your prospective hometown before buying a home — but not like a tourist.

Stay in or near the neighborhood you’re considering. Visit a grocery store. Drive your potential commute during rush hour. Walk around on a weekday evening. Try the restaurants and coffee shops you’d actually frequent.

If you’re considering a place because of its weather, visiting during its least appealing season can be especially revealing. A beautiful summer vacation won’t tell you what February feels like, and a pleasant winter getaway won’t show you how you’ll handle August.

Calvo recommends experiencing a community firsthand rather than making your decision entirely from online research.

The goal isn’t to see whether you enjoy visiting. It’s to get a sense of what an ordinary Tuesday might feel like if you lived there.

7. Talk to people who actually live there

Online research can tell you what homes cost and how long the average commute takes. Residents can tell you what those statistics don’t capture.

If you know someone in the area, ask what surprised them after moving there.

Questions might include:

• What do you like most about living here?
• What’s the biggest downside?
• Has the cost of living changed noticeably?
• What do you wish you’d known before moving?
• Which neighborhoods would you consider?
• How difficult is it to get around?
• Do you plan to stay long term?

Recent transplants can be especially helpful because they’ve already gone through the decision you’re making. But you might also ask longtime residents about tornadoes, hurricanes, or hail.

8. Make a final comparison before choosing

If you’re stuck between two or three destinations, stop researching and start comparing.

Create a simple scorecard and rate each location from 1 to 5 based on your most important criteria.

For example:

You can even give your most important priorities extra weight.

The exercise isn’t meant to produce a mathematically perfect answer. It’s designed to make the tradeoffs more visible.

A city that initially seemed like your obvious choice may lose some appeal once you realize it scores poorly on your three most important priorities. Another destination you hadn’t seriously considered may emerge as the better overall fit.

Connect with a local agent before you move

Once you’ve narrowed your destination, a local real estate expert can help turn your research into a realistic home search.

An experienced agent can explain how far your budget will go, identify neighborhoods that fit your needs, provide insight into current market conditions, and help you understand tradeoffs you may not recognize from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform analyzes millions of transactions and thousands of reviews to connect buyers and sellers with top-performing real estate agents in their target market.

If you also need to sell your current home before relocating, an agent can help you coordinate the timing of both transactions and develop a plan that reduces the risk of being caught between homes.

If you’re trying to buy and sell at the same time, check out HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program. This modern program provides a streamlined, more certain process for making your best move. Watch the short video below to learn more.

The bottom line: The best place to live is personal

If you’re still asking yourself, “Where should I move to?” don’t worry if a national ranking or list hasn’t given you a clear answer. There isn’t one universally best place to live.

Start with why you want to move. Decide which factors matter most. Research a manageable number of destinations, visit your finalists, and talk with people who know those communities firsthand.

As Calvo says, the decision is both rational and emotional. The goal isn’t to find the place that looks best on somebody else’s list. It’s to find the place that makes the most sense for the life you want to live.

To learn more, visit Homelight’s Buyer and Seller resource centers.

Writer Jacob Bourne contributed to this post.

Header Image Source: (Peter Mizsak / Unsplash)