Millennials are heading out of big cities.Gotham/Getty Images
- Millennials were already fleeing major cities before the pandemic.
- A recent SmartAsset report tracked the top cities millennials are moving away from.
- New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC all made the list.
Millennials are over big cities.
A recent SmartAsset report looked at the cities millennials are moving away from, and some major hotspots like New York City and Chicago topped the list.
It's worth noting that this data is based on US Census net migration data from 2018 — well before the pandemic. SmartAsset determined its ranking by subtracting the number of people ages 25 to 39 who moved out of each city from the number of people in the same age range who moved into the same city that year to find each city's net migration.
The cities with a negative net migration saw more people leave than move in. Many millennials seem to be trading in major metro areas for more affordable cities in the south and out west.
Keep reading to see the top 10 cities where the millennial population is dropping, ranked in order of ascending net migration.
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
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Number of millennials that moved in: 4,536
Number of millennials that moved out: 6,951
Net migration: -2,415
9. Provo, Utah
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Number of millennials that moved in: 1,038
Number of millennials that moved out: 3,840
Net migration: -2,802
8. San Diego, California
San Diego, California.
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Number of millennials that moved in: 16,523
Number of millennials that moved out: 19,528
Net migration: -3,005
7. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Number of millennials that moved in: 2,225
Number of millennials that moved out: 5,360
Net migration: -3,135
6. Boulder, Colorado
Number of millennials that moved in: 1,178
Number of millennials that moved out: 4,460
Net migration: -3,282
5. Miami, Florida
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Number of millennials that moved in: 2,736
Number of millennials that moved out: 6,368
Net migration: -3,632
4. St. Louis, Missouri
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Number of millennials that moved in: 5,462
Number of millennials that moved out: 10,328
Net migration: -4,866
3. Washington DC
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Number of millennials that moved in: 19,866
Number of millennials that moved out: 25,212
Net migration: -5,346
2. Chicago, Illinois
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Number of millennials that moved in: 26,353
Number of millennials that moved out: 34,292
Net migration: -7,939
1. New York, New York
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Number of millennials that moved in: 48,612
Number of millennials that moved out: 99,057
Net migration: -50,445