Gen Z bucks the trend and bets on California: Older Americans move to the Sun Belt, while young people flock to the Golden State

U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends report shows California ranked second among destinations for Gen Z movers (those born from 1997 to 2012), behind only Texas, while California did not make the top 10 for either Baby Boomers or Gen X. Gen Z’s top destinations, in order, were Texas, California, New York, Illinois and Colorado. The top cities were New York City, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. U-Haul said Gen Z is moving to densely populated markets with many colleges, entry-level jobs and apartments.