Apartment List Renter Migration Report: 2026

Welcome to the 2026 Apartment List Renter Migration Report. Here we analyze data on millions of searches to see where our users are looking to move, shedding new light on the migration patterns of America’s renters. This report incorporates the search preferences of users who registered with Apartment List between January 1 and December 31, 2025.¹

A large share of renters are considering a big move in 2026

Over the past half-decade, rapid developments in remote work, housing construction, affordability, and local economic growth have shifted American migration patterns. Overall migration has been slowing somewhat, although many individual markets have experienced extreme swings in housing demand. Longer-distance moves – to new states or metropolitan areas – were briefly popular immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic but have since slowed, as inflation pushed affordability concerns and moving costs to new highs.