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Most Popular Texas Cities for Movers: Live iMoving Data

The Most Popular Cities in Texas

Texas’s most popular moving destinations are Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, based on iMoving move requests and completed moves from 2023 to the present. Dallas and Fort Worth also rank high, while fast-growing suburbs like Katy, Spring, and Tomball show strong net gains. Below, we break down arrivals, departures, net change, counties, neighborhoods, and the top states moving to Texas using live moving data.

In this article:

Key Takeaways From Texas Moving Data (2023–Present)

  • Houston, Austin, and San Antonio saw the most arrivals in general. Collectively, those three cities were the destinations for 19.64% of all moves to Texas!
  • Houston saw high amounts of arrivals (8.68% of all moves to Texas) and departures (8.72% of all moves from Texas) alike. As Houstonians move out and transplants move in, it’ll be interesting to see how the city's vibe changes.

What’s the Fastest Growing City in Texas?

The fastest-growing depends on how you measure it. Our moving data highlights places with strong net gains (high arrivals with fewer departures). In this dataset, cities like Fort Worth and Katy stand out for attracting new residents without losing as many people.

If you’re looking for official population growth rankings, you’ll want census-based reports. But moving demand often signals where growth pressure is building first.

Most Popular Cities in Texas for New Arrivals

1. Houston

  • Population: 2.31 million
  • Average Home Price: $265,434
  • 8.68% of Arrivals

2. Austin

  • Population: 979,882
  • Average Home Price: $517,589
  • 5.48% of Arrivals

3. San Antonio

  • Population: 1.49 million
  • Average Home Price: $250,675
  • 5.48% of Arrivals

Why iMoving’s Moving Data Is Reliable

We have over a decade of experience with local and interstate moving, and a network of movers that includes over 1000 specialists across all 50 states.

Our dynamic moving information comes from quote requests, completed moves, and 3000+ verified mover tariffs. This data gives our system an up-to-the-minute picture of nationwide moving trends, including which states and cities are the most popular destination for customers across the country.

Between 2023 and 2025, we completed 2,839 moves. 9.33% of those moves were bound for destinations in Texas. Our system compiled statistics on which Texan cities were receiving the most traffic, and which Texan cities were losing the most people as well.

Quick note: Want to see nationwide moving trends across all 50 states? Check out our study on American moving patterns to see a state-by-state analysis.

Moving to the Lone Star State: What are the Most Popular Cities in Texas?

Our system compiled data on all moves with a destination in Texas. These cities saw the highest amount of arrivals:

Choose Item

Percent of Arrivals

:

8.68%

Percent of Arrivals

:

5.48%

Percent of Arrivals

:

5.48%

Percent of Arrivals

:

2.74%

Percent of Arrivals

:

2.28%

Percent of Arrivals

:

1.83%

Percent of Arrivals

:

1.83%

Percent of Arrivals

:

1.83%

Receiving 8.68% of all Texas-bound moves is nothing to sneeze at. Houston saw high arrivals, and Austin and San Antonio were tied for second place.

Texas Cities With the Most Departures

Out of all the moves that originated in Texas, these cities saw the highest amounts of departures:

Choose Item

Percent of Departures

:

8.72%

Percent of Departures

:

5.05%

Percent of Departures

:

3.67%

Percent of Departures

:

3.21%

Percent of Departures

:

2.75%

Percent of Departures

:

2.75%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Interestingly enough, while Houston saw high arrivals, it also ranked number 1 for departures. On the other hand, Austin and San Antonio - while still in the top 10 for departures - still managed to gain more people than they lost.

Net Gains vs Net Losses: Which Texas Cities Are Growing?

Some cities saw high amounts of arrivals, but they were also offset by high amounts of departures. Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas were all big players on the arrivals chart, but they were also big losers when it came to residents moving out.

Unlike those locations, these Texan cities saw high numbers of net arrivals: They gained plenty of new residents, but they didn’t lose many in the process.

Choose Item

Percent of Arrivals

:

2.28%

Percent of Arrivals

:

1.83%

Percent of Arrivals

:

1.83%

These Texas cities saw the highest net departures:

They lost residents without gaining enough new arrivals to offset it.

Choose Item

Percent of Departures

:

3.21%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Percent of Departures

:

2.29%

Out of all of our Texas cities, there was an impressive 4-way tie between El Paso, Irving, Midland, and Texarkana for departures. Interestingly, Fort Worth (comparatively close to Dallas) saw high arrivals without the turnaround.

Best Places to Live in Texas vs Best Places to Visit

A lot of people search for  “best places to visit in Texas,” but this report focuses on where people relocate based on moving demand. Cities like Austin, San Antonio, and Houston can be great places to visit and live, while suburbs like Katy and Spring often appear more in moving data because of housing and lifestyle trade-offs.

Most Popular Neighborhoods in Texas (Based on Arrivals)

Zooming in, our data also revealed which communities saw the highest influx of arrivals. These Texan neighborhoods saw high rates of arrivals.

Choose Item

City

:

Houston

Percent of City Arrivals

:

26.32%

City

:

Fort Worth

Percent of City Arrivals

:

18.18%

City

:

Austin

Percent of City Arrivals

:

16.66%

Some neighborhoods also experienced high departures compared to others (not shown here), which often points to changing prices, shifting job patterns, or lifestyle changes in specific pockets.

Choose Item

City

:

Austin

Percent of City Departures

:

37.5%

City

:

Dallas

Percent of City Departures

:

27.27%

City

:

Houston

Percent of City Departures

:

10.53%

West Austin, Downtown Dallas, and Midtown Houston aren’t no-name neighborhoods. These places used to draw in plenty of people, whether they were tourists folks looking to move in. Does this mean housing in these locations will get cheaper, too? Time will tell.

Texas Counties With the Most Arrivals and Departures

What regions saw the highest incoming migration? And what regions saw the highest outbound migration? As you can see here, our database also provided details for each county in Texas.

When Texas is the destination, these counties see the highest percentage of arrivals:

Choose Item

Percent of Arrivals

:

17.09%

Percent of Arrivals

:

7.04%

Percent of Arrivals

:

6.53%

Percent of Arrivals

:

6.53%

Percent of Arrivals

:

6.03%

Percent of Arrivals

:

4.52%

Percent of Arrivals

:

3.52%

Percent of Arrivals

:

3.52%

Percent of Arrivals

:

2.01%

Percent of Arrivals

:

2.01%

…And these counties see the highest departures across the Lone Star State:

Choose Item

Percent of Departures

:

13.64%

Percent of Departures

:

12.63%

Percent of Departures

:

4.55%

Percent of Departures

:

4.04%

Percent of Departures

:

3.54%

Percent of Departures

:

3.54%

Percent of Departures

:

3.54%

Percent of Departures

:

3.03%

Percent of Departures

:

2.53%

Percent of Departures

:

2.53%

Percent of Departures

:

2.53%

Houston is the county seat of Harris County. Harris County is also home to Katy, Spring, and Tomball, which definitely boosts the countywide arrival numbers. It’s also worth noting that on a county level, Dallas County is high in departures, but not so high in arrivals.

Where People Move To Texas From (And Where Texans Move Next)

What do the new Texans look like? And where are the old Texans moving? Our data highlighted nationwide moving trends, with Texas as both a point of origin and a destination.

First up, the departures. When Texans move out of state, here’s where they’re going:

Choose Item

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

10%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

10%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

7.5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

7.5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

5%

Percent of Moves Leaving Texas

:

5%

Yes, some folks are moving out. But plenty of folks are moving in, too. Be prepared to see a lot more of these license plates during your daily commute:

Choose Item

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

26.83%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

14.63%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

12.2%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

7.32%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

4.88%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

4.88%

Percent of Moves Entering Texas

:

4.88%

California is both the top origin state moving into Texas and one of the top destinations for people leaving Texas, which helps explain why Texas stays so active in our moving data.

Want the Latest Texas Moving Trends?

We keep our information as current as possible. That’s why we publish each month’s moving statistics on our live moving page. Check it out, and take a good look at the latest migration trends and patterns across the United States.

Ready to Move to Texas? iMoving Is Here to Help

Moving to Texas? Moving from Texas? Doesn’t matter. iMoving is here to help make the whole process easier. We’re the only place that lets you shop, compare prices, and book your move from the comfort of your computer (or phone), and with a marketplace of over 1000 vetted and verified moving pros, we can set you up with the best Texas movers for your exact needs.

Ready to get started? So are we. Check out our moving cost calculator, and get a free quote in just a few clicks.

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Author of the article

Harrison Gough

Harrison has been writing for real estate and moving companies for the past three years, but his knowledge isn't just from behind a desk. Having moved over a dozen times himself, sometimes with professional help and sometimes on his own, he's learned firsthand what makes moving smooth and what makes it stressful. When he's not writing, he's looking into ways to make his next move simpler.

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