The 10 States Seeing a Massive Millennial Influx

Millennials in the United States are heading west en masse. Half of the top 10 states they're moving to are in the West, with the state of Washington coming out on top, according to a report by personal finance website SmartAsset.

The top 10 states were determined based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2016 pertaining to the immigration and emigration of millennials—defined as those between the ages of 20 and 34.

Washington stole the number one spot from Texas, which was the most popular state among millennials in 2017 (the Lone Star State is now in second place). Washington received nearly 40,000 more millennials than it lost, with Seattle proving to be especially popular. The Emerald City received about 7300 more millennials than it lost, making it the top American city millennials are moving to. (It also happens to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.)

In addition to Washington, the western states of Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona made the list. Western states aren’t the only ones seeing a massive millennial influx, though. Four southern states appeared in the top 10, including Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. Claiming the number four spot, Virginia is especially attractive to young newcomers. Three of its cities—Newport News, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach—appear on SmartAsset’s list of the top 10 cities for millennial move-ins.

New York City, on the other hand, has lost some of its luster. It took the bottom spot on the list of cities, with more millennials leaving the Big Apple than moving in.

Many cities and states are looking to boost their tax base by enticing millennials to move there. There are about 71 million millennials in the U.S.—and they're expected to outnumber baby boomers in 2019. Vermont, which has an aging population, has even gone so far as offering $10,000 to remote workers who move there starting next year (while not a millennial-specific offer, millennials are known to be work-from-home proponents—one study found that 92 percent of them prefer to work remote at least some of the time).