The pandemic has profoundly changed the way Americans live and work – and where they live and work. A new analysis by the real estate portal Zillow confirmed what we heard anecdotally: There is a great shift in people’s places of residence.

Zillow analyzed data from 2016 to 2020 from one of the largest moving companies in the country, North American Van Lines.

According to Jeff Tucker, Zillow’s senior economist, last year people were looking for cheaper areas and more square feet of living space. “The ability to work remotely really changed the game for some homeowners who took this opportunity to move to a place where they could get more bang for their buck.”

Working from home increased the demand for space and allowed people to leave large, expensive cities where high-wage jobs are concentrated.

According to North American Van Lines, people left Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco at the highest rates. The five cities with the most inbound movers were smaller, cheaper metropolitan areas in the south and southeast such as Phoenix, Charlotte, Sarasota, Dallas, and Austin.

Steven Pedigo, professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, said his city is “California Central. I can tell you how many license plates on the new homes bought in our neighborhood are all California license plates. “

He added that the cities in the sun belt were already growing, but the pandemic accelerated the trend.

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