State-By-State, the Desire to Relocate

According to a recent survey conducted by researchers at unclutterer.com (a home and office organization website), many Americans are looking to relocate post-pandemic. The most popular reasons given for this wished-for migration include the fact that many Americans report being either bored with their current locations (following weeks upon weeks of lockdown) or simply wanting to move away from their densely populated cities and towns to put down new roots in wide open spaces.

The survey highlighted specific percentages of American residents that were feeling this way (broken down according to which state they reside in). Results revealed that Texas residents are among the top contenders in the proverbial “unhappy at home” category, with 39% reporting that they were bored of their hometown following lockdowns and were actively seeking to relocate elsewhere. In fact, almost 50% of Texans who live in cities and urban areas reported a desire to not only move, but to move out of the current metros and into the quieter, more spacious suburbs.

This latter sentiment should definitely come as no surprise, as it has become painfully apparent that since the onslaught of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and its accompanying mandatory stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, many Americans are realizing just what a priceless commodity ample space truly is. In fact, many report a desire to now have things that they never thought much of before, such as access to a garden or the freedom of enjoyment of a big yard space. Not to mention simply having more space between neighbors in this increasingly social distancing-centric climate.

Also drawing more people away from the city life to plant roots in the country? The simple fact that the further out from the city one goes, the further your money generally stretches in regards to house size, outdoor space, etc. Further supporting the validity of this survey finding is the fact that experts across the real estate industry have all reported a noticeable spike in the amount of online home searches in suburban zip codes this year.

Alexander Brown from unclutterer.com commented on the survey’s findings: “The pandemic has made a lot of us look at things differently. Moving home is a big undertaking, but worth it for the benefits you get if you choose more space and a more relaxed pace of life. Packing up a household can be hard, but it’s a good opportunity to get rid of all the things you don’t need any more, and organizing your new space.”

People in states including Connecticut, Main, Delaware, and Oklahoma are less satisfied, in general, than Texans, even. All of the aforementioned showed that at least half if the states' residents wanted to relocate. See the numbers in detail on this interactive map.