Are big cities losing their allure with younger folks? The places Gen Zers are moving to may surprise you.  

It’s no secret that migration patterns in the U.S. have shifted in recent years, largely due to the pandemic, the rise of remote work, and an astronomical surge in housing prices and mortgage rates. Faced with a lack of supply and affordability, people have begun to rethink where they call home. And while bustling metros may have been great for those who are now in their 30s and 40s, America’s youngest generation is shying away from historically expensive urban hubs. However, there’s more to it than just saving money. 

“Gen Zers are increasingly drawn to simpler living in their housing choices,” Emilia Mann, a senior analyst at StorageCafe, explained to Insider. “Unlike millennials, who often gravitate to D.C., Washington, and Illinois, Gen Zers tend to favor states with lower population density, from the mountainous terrains of Montana and Idaho to the plains of Kansas and Nebraska.”

According to a new StorageCafe report, which studied those between the ages of 18-23, a whopping 20,703 young Americans migrated to the suburbs of South Dakota in 2021 and represented 16 percent of the state’s total move-ins. If you’re curious, the average home value here is $213,472, while the average rent clocks in at $1,096. North Dakota was the next most popular state among Gen Zers, with 15 percent of newcomers falling into the 18-23 range, while Idaho followed, also with 15 percent.  

Iowa and Kansas rounded out the top five with Gen Zers, making up 14 percent of all newcomers, with Wisconsin, Utah, and Montana following suit. Nebraska, known for its vast prairies and spacious farmland, had its Gen Z population grow by 13 percent in 2021, and it was the same for Indiana, which just managed to crack the top 10. 

“Millennials really normalized the trend of career mobility and relocation,” Sean Lyons, a business professor at the University of Guelph, told Newsweek. “For Gen Z, relocating might be viewed as relatively normal.”

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