Home Prices Level Off Across U.S. Metros

 Slower price growth marked 2025 as more metros saw declines, equity borrowing increased and affordability pressures remain heading into 2026.

IRVINE, Calif. — Home price growth slowed noticeably in 2025, according to economists at Cotality, a real estate data and property analytics firm that tracks housing trends nationwide. The slowdown gave buyers a bit of breathing room after several fast-paced years. Prices were up 3.4% year over year in January, but by October that increase had cooled to about 1.1%. In fact, price growth hit its lowest point in a decade, and about one-third of the nation’s 100 largest metro areas saw prices dip compared with a year earlier, Cotality, formerly called CoreLogic, said.

That cooling trend came with some ripple effects. Even as home values leveled out, total housing wealth climbed to a record $48.6 trillion, prompting more homeowners to tap into their equity. Home equity lending reached its highest level since 2008. At the same time, mortgage delinquencies edged up slightly, especially among FHA loans.

The market also looked very different depending on location. In the Washington, D.C., area, federal layoffs and a government shutdown pushed inventory up by a record 60%. With more homes available, listings sat longer, and the median time on market rose 36%.

Investors, however, stayed active. They spent an estimated $483 billion on nearly one million single-family homes this year. Meanwhile, the rental market eased nationwide, with single-family rent growth slowing to its weakest pace in 15 years.

Looking ahead to 2026, Cotality expects conditions to improve modestly. Home prices are projected to rise about 3% nationally, though affordability challenges and rising non-mortgage costs could continue to weigh on the market.

U.S. housing market trends

1. Home price growth slowed throughout 2025. January recorded stable 3.4% annual increases, but by October home price growth dropped to just 1.1%, the lowest since 2012. Within the span of three years, the housing market has changed markedly. Compared with the robust gains of 2022, when some metros saw over 30% appreciation, this year was marked by price declines. At the start of the year, only six metros posted year-over-year drops, but by October, that number surged to 32, spreading beyond Florida into Texas, California, and the Mountain West.

2. While national for-sale inventory increased in the single-digits in November 2025, the greater Washington, D.C. region saw record-breaking 60% year-over-year increase in inventory. The number of homes on the market was up at least 40% in all five metropolitan divisions. The sharpest rise was seen in the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD metro division on the northern edge of the metro area, where the number of unsold homes was up 68% since November 2024.

3. Median time on market for listings in the Washington, D.C. region rose 36% year-over-year, far outpacing the 10% increase for the nation. Both the increase in time on market and the surge in unsold inventory came after large-scale layoffs in the federal government. This skew in the market was amplified by a two-month-long government shutdown in October and November.

4. Investors maintained a strong market presence in 2025. In 2025 (through October), investors spent $483 billion on just under one-third of all single-family home purchases. Investor activity is on track to surpass 2024 totals of $475 billion spent on 1.05 million homes.

5. The typical age for first-time homebuyers remains close to 32 years old. Median age for first-time buyers is up in expensive regions like California, but it’s dropped in less costly Midwestern and Southern cities. This year, the median age for first-time buyers is 36 in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, 35 in New York, 32 in Dallas, 28 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, and 27 in Columbus, IN.

6. Annual single-family rent growth slowed this year, falling to a 15-year low by October. Metros with year-over-year declines in the Single-Family Rent Index grew from eight of the largest 50 metros in January to 18 in October. However, those decreases haven’t erased gains from 2021 and 2022. Despite recording the largest drops in October rent prices, Cape Coral, Florida, and North Port, Florida, are still up 27% and 32%, respectively, over the past five years.

U.S. mortgage market trends

7. Housing wealth peaked in 2025. The total value of the residential housing stock hit a record $48.6 trillion in Q2 2025, before pulling back slightly to $48.4 trillion. Since the start of the decade, the market has created $18 trillion in residential housing wealth, which is $6 trillion more than was added during the entire 2010s.

8. The share of seriously delinquent mortgages (90 days-past-due or more) slightly increased to 0.94% in September 2025 from the same time last year. Serious delinquency rates for Federal Housing Administration (FHA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and conventional loans were 4.12%, 2.13%, and 0.63%, respectively. The largest increase in serious delinquency rate was for FHA loans which were up 58 basis points year-over-year. In contrast, the serious delinquency rate for VA loans and conventional loans saw a minor decrease of 5 basis points and 2 basis points, respectively.

9. Home equity lending rose to the highest level since 2008. During the first three quarters of 2025, lenders originated more than 557,000 new home equity loans totaling about $31.6 billion. The number of home equity loans and their amounts have increased by 3% and 10%, respectively, year-over-year in 2025. Home equity loans are gaining popularity as homeowners seek to tap into their accumulated equity.

Looking ahead to 2026

10. Cotality expects the 2026 housing market to begin a modest recovery in 2026. The path to recovery will be supported by labor stability and a gradual easing of inflation and mortgage rates, which are expected to stay above 6%. National home prices should rise by about 3%, with gains centering around northeastern and midwestern markets. However, affordability pressures and financial strain still pose a risk to recovery. Rising non-mortgage costs (insurance, property taxes) could cause "escrow shock" or localized delinquency spikes, especially for low-down-payment borrowers. Persistent inventory shortages and elevated consumer debt will continue to deepen regional disparities and K-shaped recovery dynamics.

Source: Cotality

© 2025 Florida Realtors®

Why a 6% Rate Matters for Homebuyers

 By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

If mortgage rates fall to 6%, sidelined buyers could return. Florida has already seen sales gains when rates dip, Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O’Connor said.

WASHINGTON — Mortgage rates have been moderating in recent weeks, and the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage could dip to 6% in the new year, if real estate predictions hold. That would be a notable decrease from the 7% rates seen at the start of 2025 – and it could unleash a group of home buyers who had been sidelined in the market.

According to National Association of Realtors® research, a 1% decrease in rates could add about 5.5 million households, including 1.6 million renters, to the pool of potential buyers.

“Lower rates will bring more buyers back to the market,” says Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of real estate research at NAR. She says hopeful first-time buyers may stand to benefit the most, especially those who’ve been squeezed by rising rents. Also, rate declines could spark confidence among current homeowners, who’ve been locked in with lower rates, to sell and relocate – which would further improve housing inventory. “These relatively lower rates will help both first-time buyers and current homeowners take the next step,” Evangelou says.

NAR is forecasting that rates could fall to 6% in 2026. That outlook factors in several influences on rates, including the Federal Reserve’s recent cuts to its short-term interest rates, ongoing inflation trends, the federal deficit and national debt, the impact of tariffs, quantitative tightening and movements in the 10-year Treasury yield.

Mortgage rate sensitivity

The U.S. housing market is slowly transitioning out of one of its most affordability-challenged periods in years, and besides higher home prices, elevated mortgage rates have been blamed for keeping many would-be buyers out of the market. Consider that between mid-2022 and late-2023, surging rates – from 3% averages to above 7% – pushed the typical mortgage payments up by more than $1,000 per month compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“That combined with low housing inventories froze many would-be buyers in place,” Evangelou says. While 6% rates are far from the ultra-low rates during the 2020 and 2021 timeframe, a one percentage point drop in rates compared to earlier in the year would be notable for the housing market. “It would be a huge shift in who can realistically afford to buy,” she says.

For example, on a $500,000 home with a 30-year mortgage at 7% with a 10% down payment, a borrower would pay $3,895 per month. A drop to 6.25% – at which rates have been hovering lately – has caused the monthly payment to fall to $3,672. That is a $223 per month difference, says Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief consumer finance analyst.

Already, Brad O’Connor, chief economist at Florida Realtors®, notices a trend – when rates drop, the market moves. Florida home sales have seen about a 10% year-over-year surge this fall, coinciding with a drop in mortgage rates, O’Connor said during NAR’s recent virtual “Real Estate Forecast Summit: The Year Ahead.”That momentum appears to be continuing with pending home sales for single-family homes in Florida up by 23% from a year ago in October – a month where mortgage rates averaged 6.25%. “We’re encouraged by how we see people are responding to lower interest rates already,” he says.

Ryan Price, chief economist at Virginia Realtors®, also said during the NAR webinar that he’s seen a similar trend play out with home sales in his state in unleashing pent-up demand in the housing market. “It’s early glimmers of hope,” he said. “We saw an uptick this fall in sales that coincided with mortgage rate improvements in September. It’s an early sign of potentially what we could see in 2026.”

What could happen in your market?

NAR’s analysis of the data shows that if mortgage rates drop to 6%, that shift could unleash millions of potential buyers who were sidelined previously due to affordability constraints. The metro areas that could stand to benefit the most from a 1% drop in mortgage rates from 7% to 6% are:

Kalamazoo-Portage, Mich.: an 8% increase in households who would qualify to buy

• Yuma, Ariz.: 7.5%
• Racine, Wis.: 7.5%
• Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, S.C.: 7.4%
• Rochester, Minn.: 7.4%
• Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, Wash.: 7.2%
• Wilmington, N.C.: 7.2%

See NAR’s map to find out how many potential buyers could qualify if rates dropped to 6% in your market.

© 2025 National Association of Realtors® (NAR)

First-Time Home Buyer Share Falls to Historic Low of 21%, Median Age Rises to 40

 Approximately nine in 10 buyers and sellers worked with a real estate agent, with seller representation reaching record highs

November 4, 2025

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Media Relations

WASHINGTON (November 4, 2025) – The share of first-time home buyers dropped to a record low of 21%, while the typical age of first-time buyers climbed to an all-time high of 40 years, according to the National Association of REALTORS®' 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. This annual survey of recent home buyers and sellers covers transactions between July 2024 and June 2025 and offers industry professionals, consumers, and policymakers detailed insights into homebuying and selling behavior.

"The historically low share of first-time buyers underscores the real-world consequences of a housing market starved for affordable inventory," said Jessica Lautz NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. "The share of first-time buyers in the market has contracted by 50% since 2007 – right before the Great Recession. The implications for the housing market are staggering. Today's first-time buyers are building less housing wealth and will likely have fewer moves over a lifetime as a result."

"Unfolding in the housing market is a tale of two cities," Lautz explained. "We're seeing buyers with significant housing equity making larger down payments and all-cash offers, while first-time buyers continue to struggle to enter the market."

"For generations, access to homeownership has been the primary way Americans build wealth and the cornerstone of the American Dream," said Shannon McGahn, NAR executive vice president and chief advocacy officer. "Delayed or denied homeownership until age 40 instead of 30 can mean losing roughly $150,000 in equity on a typical starter home. FHA and VA programs have helped millions of Americans access homeownership, join the middle class, and create intergenerational wealth – a testament to smart government policy in support of homeownership."

"Today, we must focus on policies that address the root cause of the affordability crisis: inadequate housing supply," McGahn added. "That means both unlocking existing inventory and enabling new construction. We need solutions that encourage more owners to sell, revitalize underused properties, streamline local zoning and permitting barriers, and modernize construction methods to build more homes faster and more affordably. These commonsense reforms make homes more affordable, restore opportunity, and help revive the dream of homeownership for generations to come."

First-time Buyers

• Median age: 40 years old
• 10% median down payment – matching the highest level recorded since 1989
• Top sources for down payment:
  • Personal savings (59%)
  • Financial assets – such as a 401(k), stocks, or cryptocurrency (26%)
  • Gifts or loans from family and friends (22%)

Repeat Buyers

• Median age: 62 years old
• 23% median down payment
• 30% were all-cash buyers

All Buyers

• Median age: 59 years old
• 24% have children under the age of 18 living at home – an all-time low
• 14% purchased a multigenerational home – down from 17% in 2024
• Top reasons cited for purchasing a multigenerational home:
  • Take care of aging parents (41%)
  • Cost savings (29%)
  • Children over the age of 18 moving back home (27%)

All Sellers

• Median time in home before selling: 11 years – an all-time high
• Median distance moved: 30 miles – down from 35 miles last year
• 50% purchased a newer home
• 34% purchased a larger home

Use of Real Estate Agents

• 88% of all home buyers used an agent or broker
• 92% of buyers of previously owned homes relied on an agent or broker
• 91% of buyers would use their agent again or recommend them to others
• 91% of sellers used an agent – equal to the highest percentage on record

"Real estate agents remain indispensable in today's complex housing market," Lautz said. "Beyond guiding buyers and sellers through what is often the largest financial decision of their lives, agents provide critical expertise, negotiation skills, and emotional support during an increasingly challenging process."

Learn more and download highlights from the report at https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/highlights-from-the-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers.

Methodology

In July 2025, NAR mailed out a 120-question survey to 173,250 recent home buyers, using a random sample weighted to be representative of sales on a geographic basis. The recent home buyers had to have purchased a primary residence home between July 2024 and June 2025. A total of 6,103 responses were received from primary residence buyers. After accounting for undeliverable questionnaires, the survey had an adjusted response rate of 3.5%. Data gathered in the report is based on primary residence home buyers. According to the REALTORS® Confidence Index, 84% of home buyers were purchasing as primary residences in 2024, accounting for 4,746,000 homes sold that year (among new and existing homes). Using that calculation, the sample at the 95% confidence level has a confidence interval of plus or minus 1.25%. The 2025 edition of NAR's Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers continues the longest-running series of national housing data evaluating the demographics, preferences and experiences of recent buyers and sellers. Results are representative of owner-occupants and do not include investors or vacation homes.

About the National Association of REALTORS®

The National Association of REALTORS® is involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. For free consumer guides about navigating the homebuying and selling transaction processes – from written buyer agreements to negotiating compensation – visit facts.realtor.

U.S. house prices rose 2.3% year over year, the FHFA reports

 By Amy Connolly

WASHINGTON — U.S. house prices rose 0.4% in August, according to the U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (FHFA HPI®). House prices rose 2.3% from August 2024 to August 2025. The previously reported 0.1% price decline in July was revised to 0.0%.

For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly home price changes ranged from -0.8% in the Pacific division to +1.2% in the Middle Atlantic division. The 12-month changes ranged from -0.6% in the Pacific division to +6.3% in the Middle Atlantic division.

The South Atlantic division, which includes Florida, saw a seasonally adjusted monthly price change of 0.7%.

The FHFA HPI is a comprehensive collection of publicly available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data that extend back to the mid-1970s from all 50 states and over 400 American cities. It incorporates tens of millions of home sales and offers insights about house price changes at the national, census division, state, metro area, county, ZIP code, and census tract levels. FHFA uses a fully transparent methodology based upon a weighted, repeat-sales statistical technique to analyze house price transaction data.

© 2025 Florida Realtors®

NAR: Housing Sector Feels Strain of Shutdown

 By Ross Hettervig

Real estate buyers and sellers are facing increasing uncertainty and delays. The wider economic impact will be significant if Congress doesn’t come together, NAR said.

WASHINGTON -- With the federal government shutdown closing in on its third week, the impacts on home buyers, sellers and the real estate economy as a whole continue to grow.

Flood insurance gaps

Following a lapse in authority on Sept. 30, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is currently unable to write new policies for homeowners and for those purchasing homes in the high-risk floodplain. However, as Realtor® Magazine has previously reported, existing policies remain active and transferable, with a 30-day grace period for renewal.

Most lenders also suspend the flood insurance requirement during a lapse, reducing the impact on home sales for the first few weeks. But as the 30-day mark for the shutdown creeps closer, many policies issued in October could begin to expire, leaving homeowners and buyers exposed in the midst of hurricane season as fewer active policies become available to transfer, and depending on the availability of private flood insurance options. This only compounds the uncertainty and hardship if the lapse continues into November.

Impacts on rural and other lending programs

It was also reported by Samantha Delouya of CNN that USDA-backed loans have been held up due to the shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture “offers Americans in rural areas and small towns zero down-payment mortgage financing in areas where private lending is often limited,” according to NAR.

Additionally, the shutdown could delay IRS income verification and create bottlenecks in FHA and VA loan processing, potentially slowing or even halting transactions across the country.

“NAR continues to urge Congress to pass a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution or long-term funding bill to reopen the government,” says NAR Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahn. “Every day the shutdown continues, thousands of Americans face uncertainty, whether they can close on their dream home, access flood protection, or count on the economic stability that a functioning government provides. The longer the shutdown continue, the greater the strain on families, businesses and the overall economy.”

A hit to local economies

Beyond the direct impact on individual homeowners and buyers, complications and delays to closings may have additional adverse economic effects on local communities. NAR research shows that the median home sale generates around $125,000 of economic impact, adding that “the housing market is not just a sector of the economy but a significant force driving economic activity.”

© 2025 National Association of Realtors® (NAR)

29% of U.S. Home Purchases Are Made in Cash

 Published on October 17th, 2025 by Dana Anderson

• 29% of U.S. homebuyers are paying in cash, down essentially unchanged from last year and down from a peak of nearly 35% two years ago due to declining mortgage rates. 
• The typical down payment is climbing, partly because in today’s expensive market, many buyers are affluent. It now sits at a record $70,000, and in percent terms, it’s 19%—up slightly from last year. 
• All-cash payments are most common in Florida, and down payments are biggest in the Bay Area and Southern California. 

Just under three in 10 (28.8%) U.S. homebuyers paid in all cash in August, down just incrementally from 29% a year earlier. 

The data in this report is from a Redfin analysis of county records across 40 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. August 2025 is the most recent month for which data is available. Down-payment data is limited to home purchases for which buyers took out a mortgage. An all-cash purchase is one in which there is no mortgage loan information on the deed.

The prevalence of all-cash payments peaked at nearly 35% in late 2023 and early 2024 because mortgage rates peaked in the high-7% range during that time. Buyers were inclined to pay in cash–if they could afford it–to avoid high monthly interest payments. 

When mortgage rates came down from that peak, all-cash payments became less common, as lower rates mean lower interest payments. Another reason the share of buyers paying in cash has declined from its peak: this past summer was the strongest buyer’s market in over a decade, and a less competitive market means fewer buyers have to pay cash to beat out other bidders. 

While the share of buyers paying cash has declined from its high point, it is essentially unchanged from last year. That’s largely because mortgage rates were sitting between 6.5% and 6.6% in August, mostly flat from a year before, keeping interest payments the same. 

Fewer all-cash buyers can be good news for house hunters who don’t have the means to purchase a home without a loan, especially when paired with the fact that buyers in most markets hold negotiating power. Now that rates have declined a bit more to a weekly average of 6.27%, we may see all-cash purchases become even less common. 

“First-time buyers have more opportunities than they did when the market was hot; they’re no longer competing against 10 other offers from people who are either paying in cash or shelling out a 50% down payment,” said Kathy Scott, a Redfin Premier agent in Phoenix. “House hunters are able to take a breath and think more clearly about where they want to live and what type of house they want. When they find it, they can make an offer they feel comfortable with, even if it’s below the asking price, and there’s a real chance the seller will accept. Home prices may dip a bit in the next year or so, but now is a great time to start building equity if you’re planning to stay in your new home for five to 10 years.”

Median Down Payment, in Dollars, Hits Record High

 

The typical U.S. homebuyer’s down payment was $70,000 in August, up 6.1% year over year to the highest dollar amount ever. 

In percentage terms, the typical homebuyer’s down payment was equal to 18.6% of the purchase price, up from 17.8% a year earlier and the highest August level since 2013. 

Down payments are rising in dollars largely because home prices are rising; when homes cost more, buyers need to put down more money.  But higher prices aren’t the only reason: Home prices are up roughly 2% year over year, and down payments are up 6%. Down-payment growth is outpacing home-price growth mainly because when housing costs are high, like they are now, affluent people with the means to make bigger down payments are more likely to buy homes. It’s also likely that some wealthy Americans are making large down payments rather than paying cash as mortgage rates gradually decline. 

There are a few reasons why down payments are rising in percent terms. One is similar to the reason mentioned above: Many of the people buying homes today are affluent, meaning they’re able to make larger down payments. They’re more likely to make big down payments when mortgage rates are fairly high, like they are now, to save money on interest payments down the line. Similarly, many of the people purchasing homes are move-up buyers who are able to roll over sizable equity from their previous home into a down payment. And with rates high and affordability tight, some lenders prefer bigger down payments to mitigate risks. 

“With the housing market in a downturn, the people who are buying are those who are  financially comfortable, secure in their jobs, and have money ready and waiting  in the bank for a down payment,” said Andrew Vallejo, a Redfin Premier agent in Austin, TX. “For example, a few months ago I helped a buyer close on an $800,000 home with a 50% down payment. They were able to liquidate stocks to make a $400,000 down payment without thinking about it too much, and now their monthly payments are lower.”

But Redfin agents note the slow market is also having the opposite effect for some buyers, in terms of down payments. Some first-time buyers only have a small amount, maybe $10,000 or $15,000, for a down payment. That would have been unlikely to work several years ago, when the market was red hot. But now, some buyers are able to get lower-priced homes with lower down payments with little or no competition. 

Metro-Level Highlights

 

The data below is from August 2025, the most recent month for which data is available. It covers 40 of the most populous U.S. metro areas. 

All Cash

• All-cash purchases were most prevalent in West Palm Beach, where 43.4% of all home purchases were in cash. Next come Cleveland (42.1%) and Miami (39.2%). 
• They were least prevalent in pricey West Coast metros: Oakland, CA (18.8%), San Jose, CA (19.1%) and Seattle (20.5%). 
• The share of homes purchased in cash rose in roughly half the metros in this analysis, with the biggest increases in Baltimore, Riverside, CA and Providence, RI. 
• The share declined most in Milwaukee, New York and Cincinnati. 

Down Payments

• In dollars, down payments were biggest in California: The median was $408,000 in San Jose, the  most of any metro in this analysis, $400,000 in San Francisco, and $300,000 in Anaheim. They were smallest in Virginia Beach, VA ($9,000), Pittsburgh ($23,000) and Cleveland ($27,000). 
• In dollars, down payments rose year over year in roughly half the metros in this analysis, with the biggest increases in Providence, RI, Chicago and Washington, D.C.. The biggest declines were in Riverside, CA, Seattle and Denver (-9.5%). 
• In percent terms, California also takes the cake in terms of biggest down payments. The typical buyer put 25% down in Anaheim, San Francisco and San Jose. Percentages were smallest in Virginia Beach (3%), Las Vegas (9.4%) and Tampa, FL (9.8%). 
• In percent terms, down payments rose in 28 of the  metros in this analysis. The biggest increases were in Providence,  Orlando, FL, and Columbus, OH. The biggest declines were in Miami, Denver, and Warren, MI.

Dana Anderson

As a data journalist at Redfin, Dana Anderson writes about the numbers behind real estate trends. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our Why Redfin page.

 Email Dana

Florida is the nation's top state for talent attraction

 Written by Lightcast Press Office

Lightcast Releases 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard - Celebrating a Decade of Talent Development Insights

September 15, 2025 - Florida has solidified its position as the nation's top state for talent attraction, with Texas close behind at No. 2, according to Lightcast's 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard—marking a decade since the company first began tracking these critical workforce migration patterns.

This 10th anniversary edition reveals that the Sunbelt and Mountain West continue their dominance in attracting workers, with eight of the top 10 states located in these regions. Wyoming leapfrogged into the top 5 at No. 4, joining neighboring Idaho at No. 3, while Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Montana round out the top 10 alongside the District of Columbia and Delaware.

"A decade ago, talent attraction was emerging as a new concept in economic development," said Josh Wright, Executive Vice President of Growth at Lightcast. "Today, it's become the foundation of regional competitiveness. With demographic shifts, remote work, and evolving worker preferences reshaping the landscape, data-driven talent strategies aren't just helpful—they're essential for community survival and growth."

Lightcast will be presenting this data tomorrow at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference in Detroit, offering attendees an inside look at the newest trends shaping US talent mobility. Wright will be joined by Cecelia Thompson, Executive Director at Action Greensboro, to share new findings on migration, education, and job growth trends—and how to turn those insights into action. The session will be held at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, September 16. 

Texas and Florida Lead Metropolitan Rankings

The dominance of Texas and Florida extends to the metropolitan level, where these two states claim eight of the top 10 large metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Texas claims three spots with Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 1, Austin at No. 2, and Houston at No. 6. Florida claims all seven of the remaining top 10.

Six Key Trends Shaping 2025 Workforce Migration

This year's scorecard identifies six critical trends driving talent attraction:

1. Sunbelt and Mountain West Dominance: Nineteen of the top 20 large metros are located in the Sunbelt, with only three of the top 50 metros of any size located outside these regions.

2. Retirement Destinations Face Mixed Outcomes: Communities like The Villages, Florida (#1 mid-sized metro) benefit from retiree influx but face long-term workforce risks as populations age.

3. Remote Work Transforms Competition: With 14% of workers now remote nationally—reaching 28% in places like Boulder, Colorado—communities must attract individuals, not just employers.

4. Blue-Collar Worker Shortages: Fast-growing regions struggle to fill essential trades positions despite overall population growth, creating infrastructure and housing development bottlenecks.

5. Tech Jobs Drive Diversification: Emerging tech hubs like Miami and Raleigh outperform traditional centers like San Francisco and Seattle in talent attraction.

6. Anchor Institution Risks: While universities, hospitals, and military bases attract talent, over-reliance creates vulnerability to closures or downsizing.

https://lightcast.io/resources/blog/lightcast-releases-2025-talent-attraction-scorecard    

About Lightcast

Lightcast is the global leader in labor market intelligence, empowering smarter decisions for businesses, education institutions, and governments worldwide. With the world’s most comprehensive database—spanning over 3 billion job postings, 500 million career profiles, and more than 100 government sources—Lightcast delivers unparalleled insight into skills, jobs, companies, professional profiles, and workforce trends across 165 countries. Our proprietary taxonomies, advanced AI, and expert guidance transform complex data into clear, actionable intelligence.

Lightcast has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, and India. Learn more at lightcast.io