People are moving to SC from these states the most, 2026 Census report shows
Where are all the people coming from who are moving to South Carolina, making it the state with the greatest per capita increase in new residents?
The U.S. Census American Community Survey has the answer.
North Carolina. The report, released in January, showed 33,151 people moved from North to South in 2024, compared to 28,109 in 2023. That was also the state with the biggest increase in residents moving south that year.
The second-highest number in 2024 were people from foreign countries — 27,104. The Census reported 26,113 new residents who lived outside the U.S. the previous year moved to South Carolina in 2023.
How many moved?
The 2026 HireAHelper Migration Report showed almost 15 million U.S. adults moved in 2025 — 4% of the adult population — and most stayed within their home state.
South Carolina gained 79.7 residents per 10,000 people. Idaho was second with 63 residents per 10,000 people.
“Lower cost of living strongly correlated with positive migration, especially in the Southeast and Mountain West,” the report said.
HireAHelper said South Carolina “has quietly become one of the strongest job markets in the Southeast, thanks to sustained growth in logistics, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. As employers continue to expand operations across the state, particularly along major interstate corridors and coastal metros, workers follow.”
The Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach area led the nation in attracting new residents with a net gain of 190 new residents for every 10,000 people, HireAHelper said.
One change noted by the U.S. Census was New York was the second-highest state to lose residents to South Carolina. In 2023, it was Georgia.
Moving totals from the U.S. Census
Here are the other states that showed residents moving to South Carolina, according to the 2024 American Community Survey data:
Florida: 17,992
Georgia: 16,024
California: 8,709
Virginia: 8,638
Texas: 8,157
Pennsylvania: 7,391
Illinois: 6,558
Ohio: 4,520
Washington: 4,330
New Jersey: 4,259
Maryland: 3,916
Tennessee: 3,385
Colorado: 3,280
Massachusetts: 3,153
Utah: 2,959
Alabama: 2,317
Michigan: 2,291
Connecticut: 2,211
Arizona: 1,989
West Virginia: 1,889
Kentucky: 1,837
Louisiana: 1,737
South Dakota: 1,653
New Hampshire: 1,478
Oklahoma: 1,335
Missouri: 1,328
Iowa: 1,310
Indiana: 1,291
Minnesota: 1,255
Delaware: 1,241
Nebraska: 1,219
Wisconsin: 1,092
Hawaii: 1,022
Nevada: 967
Kansas: 886
U.S. Island Areas: 826
Wyoming: 699
North Dakota: 686
Idaho: 526
Oregon: 507
Mississippi: 446
Arkansas: 464
New Mexico: 372
Puerto Rico: 303
Vermont: 177
Rhode Island: 170
Alaska: 141
Maine: 0
Montana: 0