For the first time this decade, more Americans moved into the Midwest from other states than moved out. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the region posted positive net domestic migration of about 16,000 people between July 2024 and July 2025, after losing residents to the rest of the country every year since 2020. Ohio swung from a loss of 32,482 domestic migrants in 2021 to a gain of 11,926. Michigan went from -28,290 to +1,796. That is a real turnaround, but it is a narrow one, and it looks very different depending on which state and metro you check. This report uses Census, moving-industry and housing-market data to answer a simple question: is the Midwest actually winning back movers in 2026?
Quick answer: Partly. The Midwest gained a net 16,040 domestic migrants in the year to July 2025, its first positive year this decade, led by Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Minnesota. But the gain is small, Illinois still lost 40,017 people to other states, and the region’s biggest draw is affordability rather than a wave of new arrivals.
The Midwest Turnaround in Numbers
All migration figures in this report are net domestic migration: people moving in from other U.S. states minus people moving out to other states, as estimated by the Census Bureau. International migration is tracked separately and is discussed later.
Measured that way, the Midwest’s recovery has been steady for three years. According to the Census Bureau’s State Population Totals and Components of Change, 2020-2025, the region’s net domestic migration went from -175,434 in the year ending July 2021 and -180,661 in 2022 to -91,566 in 2023, -43,686 in 2024 and finally +16,040 in 2025.
Put another way, the Midwest’s annual domestic losses shrank by roughly 197,000 people between 2022 and 2025. Most of that improvement came from fewer people leaving, especially from Illinois, rather than a surge of newcomers. The region still lost a cumulative 475,307 residents to other states over the five years from July 2020 to July 2025, per the same Census dataset. One positive year does not erase that.
The Midwest also benefited from immigration. Every Midwest state grew in the year to July 2025, the Census Bureau’s January 2026 release notes, even as national population growth slowed to 0.5% because net international migration fell from 2.7 million to 1.3 million.
Which Midwest States Are Gaining Movers?
The table below shows net domestic migration for all 12 Midwest states in the year ending July 2021 (the region’s first full pandemic-era year) and the year ending July 2025, plus the change between them. All figures come from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 components-of-change dataset.
| State | Net Domestic Migration, Year to July 2021 | Net Domestic Migration, Year to July 2025 | Change |
| Missouri | +17,735 | +14,028 | -3,707 |
| Indiana | +15,069 | +12,197 | -2,872 |
| Ohio | -32,482 | +11,926 | +44,408 |
| Minnesota | -14,970 | +8,300 | +23,270 |
| Wisconsin | -18,299 | +6,984 | +25,283 |
| South Dakota | +6,178 | +2,169 | -4,009 |
| Michigan | -28,290 | +1,796 | +30,086 |
| North Dakota | -3,878 | +512 | +4,390 |
| Nebraska | -5,817 | -366 | +5,451 |
| Kansas | -4,610 | -519 | +4,091 |
| Iowa | +2,294 | -970 | -3,264 |
| Illinois | -108,364 | -40,017 | +68,347 |
| Midwest total | -175,434 | +16,040 | +191,474 |
A few patterns stand out:
- Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota drove the turnaround. Together they improved by more than 123,000 people compared with 2021. All four flipped from losing movers to gaining them.
- Missouri and Indiana are the steadiest gainers. Both have attracted more movers than they lost in every year from 2021 through 2025, and they posted the region’s two largest gains in 2025.
- Illinois is still the outlier. Its net loss shrank by 68,347 people since 2021, but at -40,017 it still lost more residents to other states than any Midwest state gained. Only California and New York lost more in 2025.
Industry studies echo the shift. United Van Lines’ 2025 National Movers Study reported that Illinois returned to a “balanced” inbound/outbound ratio in 2025, dropping off the top outbound list for the first time in more than a decade. The company’s top states to move to ranking also added Minnesota as a high-inbound state, with 58.2% of the moves it handled there coming in rather than going out.
Midwest Metros: Who’s Gaining and Who’s Still Losing
At the metro level, the recovery is concentrated in a handful of mid-sized, relatively affordable regions. The table compares 2022 (the region’s worst year) with 2025 for Midwest metros of roughly 1 million people or more, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 metro-area population estimates.
| Metro Area | Net Domestic Migration, 2022 | Net Domestic Migration, 2025 | Net International Migration, 2025 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | -19,253 | +7,690 | +9,360 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | -1,426 | +5,170 | +6,083 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | +1,688 | +4,819 | +9,519 |
| Columbus, OH | +1,625 | +2,921 | +10,968 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | -1,864 | +2,258 | +3,146 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | +149 | +1,836 | +6,900 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | -1,425 | +812 | +3,531 |
| Cleveland, OH | -7,503 | -178 | +5,082 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | -13,896 | -1,382 | +6,718 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | -7,357 | -2,255 | +2,526 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | -28,418 | -5,850 | +18,336 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | -122,143 | -33,708 | +37,963 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul had the biggest swing, from losing 19,253 people to other parts of the country in 2022 to gaining 7,690 in 2025. Kansas City, Indianapolis and Columbus also posted solid domestic gains. Columbus grew by 21,312 people overall in 2025, and like most Midwest metros, it relied more on international arrivals (10,968) than on domestic movers.
The large legacy metros are still losing domestic residents, just far fewer of them. Chicago’s net domestic loss fell by about 72% between 2022 and 2025, and Detroit’s by about 79%. In both cases, international migration more than offset the domestic outflow in 2025.
This split between big and mid-sized places is a national pattern, not just a Midwest one. The Census Bureau’s 2025 county and metro estimates release found that the 50 U.S. counties with 1 million or more residents had a combined net domestic migration loss of 637,634 people between July 2024 and July 2025, while counties with 50,000 to 999,999 residents gained 533,766. Cook County, home to Chicago, is one of those million-plus counties. The suburban and mid-sized counties around Indianapolis, Columbus, Kansas City and Minneapolis-St. Paul are exactly the kind of places that have been absorbing movers.
The broader backdrop matters too. Americans are moving less than they used to: only 2.1% moved from a different state in 2024, down from 2.3% in 2023, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey mobility estimates. When fewer people move overall, a region can swing from net losses to net gains simply because fewer residents leave, which is a large part of what happened in the Midwest.
Why Movers Are Taking Another Look at the Midwest
Home prices are lower, and rising faster
The Midwest is now the cheapest region in the country to buy a home. In August 2026, the median existing-home price was $340,400 in the Midwest, versus $366,500 in the South, $556,900 in the Northeast and $619,100 in the West, according to the National Association of Realtors’ August 2026 existing-home sales report. Midwest prices were up 3.3% from a year earlier, compared with 0.7% in the South and a slight decline in the West.
That demand shows up in NAR’s second-quarter 2026 metro price report, where three Midwest metros ranked among the 10 largest annual price gains in the country: Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan (+7.8%), Canton-Massillon, Ohio (+7.7%) and Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin (+6.8%).
Everyday costs are lower too
Beyond housing, the Midwest’s overall price level is below the national average in most states. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ 2024 Regional Price Parities put Iowa at 87.8, among the four lowest-cost states in the country, where 100 equals the national average. California, the state with the largest net domestic out-migration, sits at 110.7.
Buyers are searching Midwest suburbs
Six of the 10 neighborhoods on Redfin’s Hottest Neighborhoods of 2026 list are in the Midwest, including Oak Creek, West Bend and Menomonee Falls in the Milwaukee area, Lincoln Park and Howell in Michigan, and Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Redfin ranks these areas by growth in listing views and buyer competition, so the list reflects demand rather than completed moves. Redfin’s senior economist attributed the trend directly to affordability.
The Caveats: Why “Winning Back” Is Too Strong
The data supports a Midwest recovery story, but not a Midwest boom. Several indicators point the other way.
- The gain is small in context. The Midwest’s +16,040 in 2025 compares with +357,790 for the South in the same year, per the Census Bureau’s state components-of-change data. North Carolina alone gained more than five times as many domestic migrants as the entire Midwest.
- DIY movers tell a mixed story. In the U-Haul 2025 Growth Index, Ohio had the steepest decline of any state, falling from 14th to 43rd, and Illinois ranked among the bottom five.
- Chicago remains a top origin market. Redfin’s Q1 2026 migration analysis ranked Chicago sixth among metros that homebuyers and renters were searching to leave, with a net outflow of 19,579 users. Minneapolis ranked ninth.
- Some movers are leaving the Plains. United Van Lines listed North Dakota among its top outbound states for 2025, per the company’s 2025 study announcement, even though Census data shows the state roughly even on domestic migration.
The fairest reading is that the Midwest has stopped bleeding residents, and a few metros are genuinely attracting newcomers from other states. Whether that becomes a sustained trend will depend on whether the region’s price advantage holds as Midwest home values keep rising faster than the national average.
What This Means If You’re Moving to the Midwest
- Expect competition in the affordable suburbs. Rising prices and strong search demand in places like suburban Milwaukee, Kansas City and Grand Rapids mean homes can move quickly. Line up your financing before you schedule your move.
- Compare metros, not just states. Indiana and Missouri gained movers overall, but Minneapolis-St. Paul, Kansas City, Indianapolis and Columbus account for much of the Midwest’s metro-level growth.
- Plan around winter. Long-distance moves into the upper Midwest are easier to schedule and often cheaper outside peak summer season, but snow and ice can affect delivery windows from December through March.
- Budget the full move, not just the house. Lower housing costs don’t cancel out the cost of a cross-country move. Get written quotes early so you can compare them against the savings you expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Midwest gaining population from other states in 2026?
Yes, slightly. Census Bureau estimates show the Midwest gained a net 16,040 domestic migrants in the year to July 2025, the first positive year this decade. That compares with losses of more than 175,000 per year in 2021 and 2022.
Which Midwest state gained the most movers?
Missouri, with a net gain of 14,028 domestic migrants in the year ending July 2025, followed by Indiana (+12,197) and Ohio (+11,926), according to Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates.
Is Illinois still losing residents?
Yes. Illinois lost a net 40,017 residents to other states in the year ending July 2025. That is much smaller than its loss of 108,364 in 2021, and United Van Lines now classifies Illinois as balanced, but it remains the Midwest’s largest source of out-migration.
Which Midwest cities are people moving to?
Among large metros, Minneapolis-St. Paul (+7,690), Kansas City (+5,170), Indianapolis (+4,819) and Columbus (+2,921) had the largest net domestic gains in 2025, based on Census metro estimates.
Why are people moving to the Midwest?
Affordability is the main draw. The Midwest had the lowest median existing-home price of any region in August 2026 at $340,400, according to NAR, and several Midwest states have living costs well below the national average, per BEA’s Regional Price Parities.
Are Midwest home prices going up?
Yes. Midwest median prices rose 3.3% year over year in August 2026, faster than the South or West, and Lansing, Canton and Milwaukee ranked among the country’s 10 fastest-appreciating metros in the second quarter of 2026, per NAR.
Next Step: Get a Written Estimate Before You Commit
If the Midwest’s lower housing costs are pulling you toward a long-distance move, the first number to pin down is the cost of getting there. Ask at least three licensed interstate movers for written estimates based on a video or in-home survey, and request a binding or binding-not-to-exceed quote so your price can’t rise on delivery day. Interstate Moving and Relocation Group can provide a written estimate for a move into or out of the Midwest based on your actual inventory and route.
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