More than 45 million Americans changed residences between 2017 and 2018, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. This means that more than 14% of the total U.S. population moved in the course of a single year.

Many of the shifts in population within U.S. borders can be attributed to residents moving from one Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to another. To see which metros are the most popular destinations, COMMERCIALCafé analyzed net population gains through metro-to-metro migration for U.S. cities and their respective MSAs.

Las Vegas ranked 8th, gaining a net average of 19,836 residents per year from other U.S. metro areas. The city attracts large numbers of residents from the neighboring state of California, with Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and San Diego making up the top three incoming metros. A lower cost of living and extremely strong job growth put Las Vegas in a strong position to attract metro movers.

Overall, the study found that the Sun Belt is an attractive area for inter-metro migration. Tech hubs are also a step ahead when it comes to drawing prospective residents.