In recent years, the Midwest was a part of the United States that saw more people leaving than moving in. According to Census Bureau population data, the region's net domestic migration loss totaled about 491,000 people from 2021 through 2024. In the last few years, though, that outflow has narrowed considerably, from a net loss of roughly 180,000 in 2022 to about 44,000 in 2024. As of June 2025, the Midwest had positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade, gaining 16,000 residents, based on Census Bureau midyear estimates.
Considering the region has tens of millions of people, it’s not exactly a startling number for a single year. But it is a start.
The increased migration highlights a broader trend. In the four years between 2021 and 2025, the Midwest’s net domestic migration increased by about 191,000 people, with most states in the region seeing the effects of the change. Spokeo has dug into U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data to show how and why the Midwest has become a growing region of the country.
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Why it matters
An improvement in the number of people migrating to the Midwest is a significant trend. Until recently, the national migration story had been dominated by the South and Mountain West, while the Midwest traditionally supplied new movers.
According to Census Bureau data, U.S. population growth slowed to 0.5% between 2024 and 2025, and net international migration fell from 2.7 million to 1.3 million. This means domestic movers are carrying the brunt of the load for any region trying to grow. More people ending up in the Midwest could indicate it's a magnet for ongoing domestic growth.
The state picture
The Midwest is made up of 12 main states. At the end of the four-year period from 2021 to 2025, eight of those 12 posted positive net domestic migration numbers. Here’s the breakdown based on Census Bureau state population data, in addition to broader annual population data:
Ohio had a notable leap, going from a loss of more than 32,000 residents in 2021 to a gain of nearly 12,000 in 2025.
Michigan also saw another remarkable shift, from a decline of 28,290 people to a positive 1,796. Coming up behind are Minnesota and Wisconsin, with a combined loss of 33,269 people in 2021 and a combined gain of 15,284 people throughout 2025.
The more important picture in the table is Illinois. They lost 108,364 residents to other states in 2021, an even worse 149,904 in 2022, and 40,017 in 2025. The large losses in this state are an anomaly that skews the story of the entire Midwest, making it seem as though the entire region is posting losses.
On a national basis, large-metro urban counties lost 668,000 people to domestic outflows in 2025, while the suburbs and smaller metros gained. In the Midwest, smaller metro counties gained 31,000 people.
Movement in the large cities follows the trend. Indiana’s Business Research Center puts domestic migration to Indianapolis at 4,613. That’s the most of any Indiana metro and over a third of the state’s total gain. St. Louis had its smallest domestic outflow since the ’90s, and Columbus, Ohio, was just one of three metros to add more than 100,000 residents since the start of the decade.
The data reflects gross arrivals, so it doesn’t take into account any Midwesterners who moved away. It also comes from survey data rather than population estimates.
Florida, Texas, and California were the heaviest hitters. Combined, they contributed a little less than half of the total 604,826 arrivals from all 15 states.
More broadly, Southern states accounted for most of the movers. Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma accounted for a combined 328,314 arrivals. The Western states of California, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington only contributed 187,043 by comparison, and the Northeast (New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey) only 89,469.
Testing the explanations
There are varying theories on why the Midwest is now growing. Specifically, three theories stand out as the most likely:
Job-centered growth: Job growth seems like a natural explanation, but the strongest labor markets didn’t necessarily see the biggest population gains. Missouri, however, fits this trend, with employment growing 1.7% in 2025, the fastest of any state per Visual Capitalist data, in addition to 14,028 new residents. Indiana doesn’t fit the mold, though. Jobs likely explain some of the movement, but not all of it.
Housing-centered redistribution: The National Association of Realtors reports a median single-family home price of $317,100 in the fourth quarter of 2025 for the Midwest. When comparing that price against averages of $625,800 and $514,600 in the West and Northeast, it’s not hard to see why more people may choose the Midwest.
Hybrid recovery: Perhaps people aren’t just moving in. Costs are high, and the job market is a challenge, meaning interstate migration is down. If fewer Midwesterners leave, it naturally skews net migration.
The states of the future
The Midwest isn’t exactly a boom region with a net gain of 16,000. Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri lead the charge, but the progress hasn’t quite reached Illinois. What the data does show, though, is that a massive region of the country has finally stopped losing residents after years of decline.
Whether this trend sticks will likely depend on housing costs remaining lower in these markets, in addition to ample work opportunities remaining in the regions. The next Census Bureau release will likely spell out whether the 2025 trend was an anomaly or the start of something more lasting.
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