New migration data showed where Gen Z clustered – and what it meant for future housing demand
Gen Z are only just beginning to show up in national migration statistics, but a new dataset suggests their choices are already reshaping pockets of the United States housing market.
Using a proprietary database of almost 15 million adult moves in 2025, including 335,678 Gen Z relocations, MovingPlace mapped where the youngest movers went.
Its 2026 Gen Z Migration Report highlighted early hotspots from downtown Minneapolis to Midtown Manhattan and hinted at how Gen Z are starting to reshape rental and entry‑level housing demand.
Members of Gen Z moved the shortest distances, most often just 1–10 miles, while Gen X and baby boomers logged far more long-haul moves over 1,000 miles. Those constrained patterns, MovingPlace argued, made each Gen Z move more revealing.
Gen Z cluster around job hubs and Sun Belt metros
While Gen Z accounted for just 2.2% of total US moves in the MovingPlace sample, their net migration patterns clustered around large job hubs, walkable urban neighborhoods and fast‑growing Sun Belt metros.
Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin posted the largest net gains in Gen Z movers, while California, New Jersey and Minnesota saw net outflows.
At the metro level, Dallas–Fort Worth, Nashville, Phoenix, Washington DC and Madison ranked among the biggest winners.
“The top ZIP code Gen Z is moving to in 2025 is 55401, a central area of Minneapolis on the banks of the Mississippi River,” the report said.
Homes there carried a median price of $372,500, below the US average, while the average income of $115,651 ran well above surrounding neighborhoods. The study said that mix of relative affordability, high earnings, walkability and job access made 55401 an early hub for young renters and future buyers.
In New York’s 10016, average home values of $826,250 contrasted with an average salary of $153,065, underscoring a pattern of Gen Z renting into high-income job centers rather than buying.
In Boston’s 02127, median house prices of $955,000 and studio rents of $2,150 were offset by an average income of $99,163 and a median age of 32.5, creating what the report described as “a hub for young professionals with a thriving job market and great nightlife options.”
Brooklyn’s 11221 offered studios at about $2,375 and a median household income of $85,122, with a quick train ride into Manhattan.
Suburbs turn into ‘Gen Z ghost towns’
Suburbs at the other end of that spectrum were turning into what the report called “Gen Z ghost towns.”
In Powell, Ohio’s 43065, about 88% of residents owned their homes and the average age was 40.2.
In Aurora, Colorado’s 80016, median home prices of $723,500 and average rents around $3,097 sat uneasily beside early-career incomes, even with Denver roughly a 30-minute drive away.
High-earning Gen Z reshape affluent enclaves
Higher-earning Gen Z households - those making $100,000 or more - were concentrating in a smaller set of affluent ZIP codes.
In Verona, Wisconsin’s 53593, the median household income of $135,699 was about 1.5 times that of the broader Madison metro, and median home values of $464,700 ran roughly 1.4 times higher.
Chicago’s 60611 posted per-capita income of $133,057, with 27% of residents in homes priced between $500,000 and $1 million and 13% above that, while nearby 60657 recorded median home values of $625,000 and one of the city’s highest shares of residents aged 20–34.
Those enclaves combined six‑figure household incomes with access to tech, professional services and government employment corridors – and, in many cases, rapidly appreciating home values.
“Gen Z functions like a friction test for the housing and job market,” Daniel Cobb, senior editor at MovingPlace, said.
“Because they have the least financial slack, no relocation packages, and little tolerance for inefficiency, they only move when a city removes enough barriers to make early adulthood viable. When Gen Z shows up in a ZIP code, it’s often not because it’s trendy, but because the math finally works for them.”
Cobb said that dynamic made Gen Z moves an early indicator for future demand, rather than a marginal side story.
“Employers, landlords, and city planners should take this as a signal to align opportunities with Gen Z’s priorities: provide affordable housing, accessible transit, and entry‑level jobs in growing neighborhoods,” he said.
Broader research on mobility underlines the stakes. Recent Census‑based work and analysis from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies showed overall US household mobility fell to record lows, with just over one in ten households moving each year.
Millennial buyers were also drifting away from high‑cost coastal metros toward smaller Midwestern cities, while Gen Z buyers demanded digital‑first, convenience‑driven mortgage processes.
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