A new mid-year report shows which cities and states Memphis residents are moving to in 2026.
Each year, U-Haul publishes a report
based on the company's data that tracks one-way truck or trailer rentals from every U.S. metro that has a population of at least one million residents. To further the analysis, U-Haul also broke each city's metrics into the four primary generations of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.Tennessee was a popular destination for movers, but Memphis residents often chose similar destinations when relocating out of state.
Here is where Memphis residents moved to in 2026.
Where are Memphis residents moving to?
The most popular state for Memphians to move to across all age groups was Texas, followed by Florida, North Carolina and Alabama. The most popular city
overall was Dallas, as all four age groups had people move there from Memphis.
Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, had the most people move to Florida. This was followed in popularity by Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina and Georgia. The most popular city for Boomers to move to was Fayetteville, Arkansas, followed by Clarksville, Tennessee; Dallas; Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Gen Xers, people born between 1965 and 1980, primarily moved to Texas, followed by Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and Michigan. The most popular city for Gen X to move to was Dallas. Other popular cities included Atlanta; Nashville; Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Alabama; and Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi.
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, also had Texas as the most popular state to move to. Other popular states included Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. The most popular cities to move to were Houston; Dallas; Birmingham, Alabama; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Clarksville, Tennessee.
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, overwhelmingly moved to Texas from Tennessee. The most popular cities for Gen Z to relocate to are Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston in Texas, along with Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. The most popular states outside of Texas include Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Alabama.
Which cities are having people move to Tennessee?
Of the 55 cities measured, 31 had at least one age group move to Tennessee. Despite the 31 cities that had multiple age groups move to Tennessee, only one city had all four move here: Rochester, New York. California had the highest number of cities listed as top destinations in Tennessee, with a total of five cities.
Here are the cities with three or more age groups that moved to Tennessee in 2026:
- Rochester, New York: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.
- Atlanta: Boomers, Gen X and Millennials.
- Miami: Boomers, Gen X and Millennials.
- Phoenix: Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.
- Riverside, California: Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.
There were only two cities where residents were moving to Memphis specifically, rather than Tennessee as a whole. The two cities were Nashville and Tulsa, Oklahoma. From Nashville, both boomers and millennials had Memphis as one of their top metro destinations. Tulsa only had boomers choosing Memphis as a top destination.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: These are the places Memphis residents are moving to most in 2026
