How America Moves

Texas

State-to-state migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
97
3% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$260,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+50.2%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,339
national $1,348
Homeownership
63%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.0%
national 3.6%
Household income
$76,292
national $78,538
Median age
35.5 yrs
national 38.7

The cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. The median home is valued at $260,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 50% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,339 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.0% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $76,292. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Texas saw a net gain of 54,904 tax-filing households and a net gain of 111,404 individuals. Against a population of about 30,503,301, that is a net inflow of about 3.7 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $5.3B in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 44,417 households, came from California; the largest outflow, about 24,970 households, went to California. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 183,346 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$5.3B
nominal dollars
Net households
+54,904
tax returns
Net people
+111,404
exemptions

+3.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 30,503,301)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$26.4B
Moved out$21B
Net +$5.3B (nominal)
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Texas counties

Net migration by county. Hover for figures; click a county to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Top origin states

  1. 1California44,417$4.8B
  2. 2Florida24,196$1.7B
  3. 3Louisiana15,068$858.5M
  4. 4New York12,961$1.2B
  5. 5Colorado12,275$1.1B
  6. 6Illinois12,078$1.2B
  7. 7Georgia10,897$748.3M
  8. 8Oklahoma10,157$667.5M
  9. 9Arizona9,966$800.3M
  10. 10Washington9,863$1.2B
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Top destination states

  1. 1California24,970$2.4B
  2. 2Florida20,050$1.8B
  3. 3Colorado14,923$1.3B
  4. 4Oklahoma11,582$733.3M
  5. 5Louisiana10,522$566.7M
  6. 6New York9,433$930.3M
  7. 7Washington9,307$859.8M
  8. 8Georgia9,120$660.6M
  9. 9North Carolina8,694$760.4M
  10. 10Arizona8,463$711M
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Churn by state · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

California44,41724,970+19,447+$2.4B
Florida24,19620,050+4,146-$144.2M
Colorado12,27514,923-2,648-$238.1M
Louisiana15,06810,522+4,546+$291.8M
New York12,9619,433+3,528+$235.8M
Oklahoma10,15711,582-1,425-$65.8M
Illinois12,0788,236+3,842+$488.2M
Georgia10,8979,120+1,777+$87.7M
Washington9,8639,307+556+$317.9M
Arizona9,9668,463+1,503+$89.3M
North Carolina8,3878,694-307-$162.9M
Virginia9,1247,641+1,483+$176.9M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$63B (+1,524,206 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$2.8B+118,667
2013+$6B+152,912
2014+$4.9B+231,164
2015+$3.6B+64,309
2016+$2.3B+55,114
2017+$3.1B+98,398
2018+$3.4B+80,607
2019+$4B+114,818
2020+$6.4B+136,174
2021+$10.9B+177,293
2022+$10.2B+183,346
2023+$5.3B+111,404
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 111,404 more people moved into Texas than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $5.3B in income (nominal) — in a state of 30,719,247 people.

Population
30,719,247
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+3.6
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +36 people.
Net income per resident
+$173
nominal dollars
+$5.3B total across 30,719,247 residents.

The rate lets you compare Texas with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the state’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+390,308
Deaths
-231,625
Net domestic migration
+188,667
Net international migration
+251,690
Total change
+601,245

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Texas run about 3% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $103 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$67,503
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
4% below the U.S. average
Price level
97.1
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 2.9% lower than average
What that income buys
$69,490
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
1% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents97.5
Goods98.1
Utilities92.4
Other services96.6

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Texas

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
35.5
years
Median household income
$76,292
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
3% below the U.S. median
College degree
33%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
13.8%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
27 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
90%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 40%Hispanic 39%Black 12%Asian 5%Other 3%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$260,400
owner-occupied homes
14% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,339
gross rent per month
1% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
63%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+4.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+50%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
232,373new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 64%Multifamily 36%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.0%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
15,248,074
14,636,691 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Winter Storm

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
4.3%
May 2026 · ▲ 0.3 points vs May 2025
January 2024May 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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Who’s moving by income

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into Texas minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 20222023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

$1–$10k
+1,583
In 24,798Out 23,215+$8.9M AGI
$10k–$25k
+8,418
In 60,707Out 52,289+$148.7M AGI
$25k–$50k
+14,937
In 78,097Out 63,160+$549.5M AGI
$50k–$75k
+8,550
In 46,079Out 37,529+$528.2M AGI
$75k–$100k
+6,506
In 29,691Out 23,185+$565.4M AGI
$100k–$200k
+9,705
In 47,403Out 37,698+$1.3B AGI
$200k+
+5,084
In 23,751Out 18,667+$2.2B AGI

Among the highest earners ($200k+), Texas ranks #2 of 51 states for net household migration (+5,084).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

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Goods trade

What Texas ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between Texas and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

$602.2B
Ships to other states
+31% since 2017
$732.9B
Receives from states
+29% since 2017
-$130.6B
Net balance

Top goods shipped out

Gasoline and aviation turbine fuel
$274.1B
Fuel oils
$182.9B
Mixed freight
$170.7B
Pharmaceutical products
$138.4B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$118.1B
Plastics and rubber
$108.9B

Top goods received

Gasoline and aviation turbine fuel
$265.1B
Mixed freight
$170.5B
Fuel oils
$167.3B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$142.3B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$129.7B
Pharmaceutical products
$120.8B

Biggest trading partners (both ways)

Goods trade runs in both directions: states swap different goods, so a partner is often near the top of both columns. Net is ships minus receives (positive means Texas ships more to that partner than it gets back).

PartnerShips toReceivesNetTotal
California$51.2B$68.3B-$17.0B$119.5B
Louisiana$61.1B$42.8B+$18.3B$103.8B
Oklahoma$34.2B$34.4B-$149M$68.6B
Illinois$28.6B$37.4B-$8.8B$65.9B
Michigan$20.7B$39.6B-$18.8B$60.3B
Florida$38.3B$21.3B+$17.0B$59.5B
Ohio$19.7B$33.6B-$13.9B$53.2B
Tennessee$22.6B$25.8B-$3.2B$48.5B

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between Texas and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

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Taxes the state collects

What Texas collects in taxes

Total state taxes
$87.3B
FY 2023, nominal
Per resident
$2,843
total state taxes ÷ population
Largest categories (share of total)
General sales & gross receipts$53.7B · 61%
Severance taxes$9.5B · 11%
Other selective sales tax$8.5B · 10%
Insurance premium sales tax$4.2B · 5%
Motor fuels sales tax$3.8B · 4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.

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How Texas has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

President, 19762024

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20244,835,2506,393,597159,827R +13.711,388,674
20205,259,1265,890,347165,583R +5.611,315,056
20163,877,8684,685,047406,311R +9.08,969,226
20123,308,1244,569,843115,884R +15.87,993,851
20083,528,6334,479,32869,834R +11.88,077,795
20042,832,7044,526,91751,128R +22.97,410,749
20002,433,7463,799,639174,252R +21.36,407,637
19962,459,6832,736,167415,794R +4.95,611,644
19922,281,8152,496,0711,376,132R +3.56,154,018
19882,352,7483,036,82937,833R +12.65,427,410
19841,949,2763,433,42814,867R +27.55,397,571
19801,881,1472,510,705149,784R +13.94,541,636
19762,082,3191,953,30036,265D +3.24,071,884

U.S. Senate races · all states →

YearWinnerDemocraticRepublicanOtherMargin
2024Ted Cruz5,031,2495,990,741269,864R +8.5
2020John Cornyn4,888,7645,962,983292,293R +9.6
2018Ted Cruz4,045,6324,260,55365,470R +2.6
2014John Cornyn1,597,3872,861,531188,452R +27.2
2012Ted Cruz3,194,9274,440,137229,758R +15.8
2008John Cornyn3,389,3654,337,469185,241R +12.0
2006Kay Bailey Hutchison1,555,2022,661,78997,672R +25.6
2002John Cornyn1,955,7582,496,24360,589R +12.0
2000Kay Bailey Hutchison2,025,0244,078,954163,986R +32.8

U.S. House seats won · district maps →

2024
D 13 · R 25
2022
D 13 · R 25
2020
D 13 · R 23
2018
D 13 · R 23
2016
D 11 · R 25
2014
D 11 · R 25
2012
D 12 · R 24
2010
D 9 · R 23
2008
D 12 · R 20
2006
D 10 · R 18
2004
D 11 · R 21
2002
D 17 · R 15
2000
D 17 · R 13

2024 results by county

Republican wonDemocratic wonIndependent / other
Which party received the most votes, as a solid color.Winning margin as a share of all votes cast.Change in margin since 2020, in percentage points.Total votes cast, all candidates.
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Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Counties in Texas (254)

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