Where people from the D.C. area are moving
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
People who are moving from D.C. and Maryland often aren't going far, per new census data. Virginians, however, seem to be peacing out.
Why it matters: There's a lot of moving around within the DMV as people shift where they live to find more space and affordability in an expensive area, and as they reconfigure how close they need to be to work in an evolving office environment.
State of play: The top states where D.C. residents most frequently move are Maryland and Virginia, per 2018-2022 five-year state-to-county migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
- At the county level, it's the 'burbs — think Prince George's, Montgomery and Arlington counties.
Maryland's number one state for relocation is Virginia.
- At the county level, that changes to Fairfax County.
The intrigue: Virginians' top relocation state is (drumroll) Florida.
- And San Diego and Honolulu counties are both included in the top five counties for relocating Virginians.
- Plus: Virginia has one of the highest numbers of out-of-state movers during the surveyed period.
Zoom out: We seem to really like Florida around here — the Sunshine State also came in at No. 3 for relocating Marylanders and No. 5 for D.C. residents.
Reality check: It wouldn't be fair to say Virginians are avoiding the DMV en masse.
- Maryland is the third-most popular state for relocating Virginians, and Montgomery and Prince George's counties are also in the top five at the county relocation level.