Dallas Keeps Movers on Speed Dial as No. 2 City for Recent Moves

Dallas is shifting as people move into the city and around it. A new population analysis by online loan marketplace LendingTree has named Dallas the No. 2 metro for recent moves.

The study used population data from a 2021 U.S. Census Bureau survey to determine householders and renters who moved to their current home in 2019 or later. It reflects people moving around Dallas as well as moving into it, so it’s not just new residents being counted.

About 35 percent of combined homeowners and renters living in their current Dallas homes moved there within the three-year scope of the study. For homeowners, that’s about 19 percent, compared to about 59 percent of renters.

The three-year median home value appreciation rate in Dallas was 16.15 percent, the study says, echoing similar reports that the city remains one of the top housing markets for growth.

But other reports that are not looking at such longterm averages are showing that the market seems to be stabilizing recently. In August of 2023, Zillow reported home prices in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington dropped 1.4 percent from the previous year to $309,340.

Rent appreciation was not as dramatic, but renters are surely feeling it regardless. The data shows the three-year median gross rent appreciation rate was 8.49 percent.

Renters are much more likely than homeowners to move due to multiple factors: personal circumstances, rising rent prices, landlords who want to change their lease terms, and many others.

“While some regulations protect renters and make it harder for landlords to force them out of their homes, these protections aren’t always robust,” the study says. “Because of this, renters can more frequently find themselves in situations where they’re forced to move, even if they like their current home or are strapped for cash.”

Dallas fell right behind Austin, which saw nearly 39 percent of homeowners and renters moving between 2019 and 2021. Houston was the only other Texas city to make the top 10, ranking No. 7 with nearly 34 percent of homeowners and renters moving within the same time frame.

The U.S. metros with the largest shares of homeowners and renters who moved in 2019 or later are:

• No. 1 – Austin, Texas (38.82 percent)
• No. 2 – Dallas, Texas (34.91 percent)
• No. 3 – Las Vegas, Nevada (34.81 percent)
• No. 4 – Denver, Colorado (34.71 percent)
• No. 5 – Orlando, Florida (34.55 percent)
• No. 6 – Phoenix, Arizona (34.03 percent)
• No. 7 – Houston, Texas (33.50 percent)
• No. 8 – Jacksonville, Florida (33.27 percent)
• No. 9 – Nashville, Tennessee (33.14 percent)
• No. 10 – Salt Lake City, Utah (32.94 percent)

Source: Dallas CultureMap