Many Americans are leaving larger cities and states, especially on the coasts, for smaller spots across the US. California lost almost 350,000 people between 2021 and 2022, and some New Yorkers are being priced out.
Meanwhile, a handful of cities and towns around the country want people to move there — so much so that they're doling out cold, hard cash to some newcomers.
Ryann Cooke took Tulsa, Oklahoma, up on its $10,000 offer to movers.
Cooke, who is in her late 20s and works in social media, moved from Washington, DC, to Tulsa in June 2022. She told Business Insider the money is nice, but Oklahoma is also cheaper overall.
"I have a great apartment and I've never been able to afford living on my own before, but the cost of living is so much lower in Tulsa than in DC," Cooke said.
Tulsa's relocation-incentive initiative, called Tulsa Remote, is perhaps the best-known program of its kind.
The programs, most popular in places in the Midwest and South, have similar goals: attract residents to boost their populations and inject their economies with talent and spending.
Read on to learn more about seven towns and cities that pay people cash to move there, presented in alphabetical order.
Did you get paid to move? Did we miss a program? Reach out to jpandy@businessinsider.com.