Dallas-Fort Worth ranks as top metro for transplants

That moving truck you just passed on the interstate was probably headed to Dallas.

Dallas-Fort Worth was the top 2021 destination for people relocating from other parts of the country.

The DFW area joined Charlotte, N.C., and Sarasota, Fla., as metro areas that were listed on the most change of address cards this year, according to a new report by real estate firm Zillow and Allied Van Lines.

North Texas has gained tens of thousands of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to businesses that allowed their employees to work remotely and people leaving denser urban areas.

And thousands of new jobs have been created in the area, attracting more people.

Most of the migrants to DFW were coming from Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix, the researchers found.

“In 2021, residents intensified the trend that began in 2020 of moving to more affordable neighborhoods,” Zillow senior economist Jeff Tucker said in the report. “The combination of rapidly rising home values and more available remote-working jobs has pushed people to seek out parts of the country where their home-buying dollar goes further.”

Transplants that came to North Texas moved to homes with an average value of $94,296 less than in the neighborhoods they left behind, Zillow found.

“Some of 2020’s most popular destinations like Phoenix and Austin have gotten so expensive, so quickly that they are losing some of their appeal as affordable options,” Tucker said.

Florida and Texas were Allied Van Lines’ top state destinations for moves this year. California ranked third.

“Texas is projected to grow its population by more than 5 million residents by 2030 as an increasing number of companies like Tesla, Oracle and Charles Schwab have moved operations to the Lone Star State,” Zillow researchers said.

Chicago was the metro area that saw the most net outbound moves this year, with most of its residents heading south and west to Phoenix, DFW and Los Angeles.