According to an article on Realtor.com, several cities in the heartland are seeing migrants from the coasts and big cities like Dallas and Chicago boost their populations. "Cities like Columbus, OH, Grand Rapids, MI, Indianapolis, Nashville, TN, and Austin, TX, have been pulling in young professionals attracted by well-paying jobs in tech, manufacturing, health care, and financial services, as well as families looking for affordable housing and a more relaxed pace of life.
The success of this internal migration has been undeniable. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, an estimated 39% of the U.S. population lived in the heartland region in 2024, representing a 2.65% uptick from 2020. For comparison, the population in the rest of the U.S. grew by only 2.59%." With this increase has come an increase in home prices. According to Realtor.com data, the median home list prices in the cities listed above have seen increases ranging from 17% to a staggering 47% from 2019 to 2025. For comparison, the national median home list price increase during that same period was just under 39%.
Even with those increases housing is still cheap compared to California. According to the article, 'In Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas, median home prices saw a boost of 36%, meaning that in March 2025, a typical home there cost $385,000.
Compared with the other migration hubs, Indianapolis saw the most modest price gain of 17% from the pre-pandemic era, with the typical home there going for $315,000 last month, the cheapest among the five heartland juggernauts." In San Diego we struggle to find a one bedroom condo (far inland) for that price...
