Methodology
To determine the cities Americans are abandoning, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Unit Estimates program. Metropolitan statistical areas were ranked based on the percentage change in population due to net migration from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021.
Supplemental data on total population change — including change due to births and deaths — also came from the Census Bureau PEP program. Data on median home value came from the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community and figures are five-year estimates. Unemployment rates for April 2022 came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not seasonally adjusted.
