Where Newcomers Out-Earn Those Who Leave
Tax returns show who moves in and who moves out of each county, and in some large counties the two groups earn very differently.
Across the 286 counties of 250,000 or more residents with a published migration figure, the households arriving reported a higher average income than the households leaving in 55 of them by at least a tenth, and a lower one in 60. The largest gap is in Collier County, FL, where arrivals averaged $284,082 against $125,859 for those who left, 2.26× as much.
Key findings
- St. Johns County, FL had the largest net gain among these counties at +4.0% of its residents, and Bronx County, NY the largest net loss at −2.9%.
- A county can lose residents and still see arrivals out-earn leavers: Palm Beach County, FL had a net change of −0.1% with arrivals earning 1.81× what leavers did.
Where arrivals out-earn those leaving by the widest margin
| County | Net migration | Arrivals’ income | Departures’ income | Arrivals ÷ departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collier County, FL | +0.8% | $284,082 | $125,859 | 2.26× |
| Palm Beach County, FL | −0.1% | $178,085 | $98,527 | 1.81× |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | −1.9% | $127,902 | $77,809 | 1.64× |
| Sarasota County, FL | +1.4% | $141,654 | $86,763 | 1.63× |
| Manatee County, FL | +2.9% | $121,903 | $80,307 | 1.52× |
| Horry County, SC | +3.7% | $82,989 | $55,207 | 1.50× |
| Lee County, FL | +0.8% | $123,824 | $84,887 | 1.46× |
| Sussex County, DE | +2.7% | $112,195 | $79,252 | 1.42× |
| Marin County, CA | −0.6% | $233,266 | $165,889 | 1.41× |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | −1.0% | $115,907 | $84,678 | 1.37× |
| Charleston County, SC | +0.6% | $104,126 | $76,482 | 1.36× |
| Lake County, FL | +4.0% | $80,888 | $59,477 | 1.36× |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | +0.1% | $103,869 | $77,011 | 1.35× |
| Rockingham County, NH | +0.4% | $124,229 | $92,958 | 1.34× |
| St. Johns County, FL | +4.0% | $130,514 | $97,953 | 1.33× |
Largest net gains
| County | Net migration | Arrivals’ income | Departures’ income | Arrivals ÷ departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns County, FL | +4.0% | $130,514 | $97,953 | 1.33× |
| Lake County, FL | +4.0% | $80,888 | $59,477 | 1.36× |
| Pinal County, AZ | +3.9% | $70,276 | $59,593 | 1.18× |
| Pasco County, FL | +3.8% | $76,455 | $62,285 | 1.23× |
| Marion County, FL | +3.7% | $65,836 | $54,095 | 1.22× |
| Horry County, SC | +3.7% | $82,989 | $55,207 | 1.50× |
| St. Lucie County, FL | +3.5% | $76,934 | $60,901 | 1.26× |
| Montgomery County, TX | +3.3% | $91,270 | $86,878 | 1.05× |
| Hays County, TX | +3.2% | $90,404 | $74,563 | 1.21× |
| Polk County, FL | +2.9% | $56,694 | $53,479 | 1.06× |
Largest net losses
| County | Net migration | Arrivals’ income | Departures’ income | Arrivals ÷ departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx County, NY | −2.9% | $43,580 | $51,676 | 0.84× |
| St. Louis city, MO | −2.4% | $52,846 | $67,359 | 0.78× |
| Suffolk County, MA | −2.2% | $93,364 | $127,357 | 0.73× |
| Queens County, NY | −2.2% | $68,695 | $78,589 | 0.87× |
| Kings County, NY | −2.0% | $94,929 | $92,137 | 1.03× |
| Hudson County, NJ | −1.9% | $108,584 | $133,003 | 0.82× |
| Orleans Parish, LA | −1.9% | $59,537 | $67,470 | 0.88× |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | −1.9% | $127,902 | $77,809 | 1.64× |
| Philadelphia County, PA | −1.7% | $68,462 | $85,286 | 0.80× |
| Dallas County, TX | −1.4% | $76,620 | $83,530 | 0.92× |
Income here is the average adjusted gross income on a tax return, so a few very high incomes raise it, and it describes a household’s return rather than a person. It is not a measure of wealth. A gap between arrivals and departures says the two groups differ; it does not say why people moved or that anyone was displaced. The figures describe one year of tax filers and will move when the IRS publishes the next.
Methodology
Counties of 250,000 or more residents with a published figure in the IRS Statistics of Income county-to-county migration files, which compare the address on each individual tax return with the same filer’s return filed a year earlier. Net migration is people who moved in from elsewhere in the United States minus people who moved out, as a percent of the people who filed in the county the year before. Arrivals’ income and departures’ income are the average adjusted gross income per return of households that moved in and out. The comparison ratio is the first divided by the second. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out on both sides, because the files have no matching count of people leaving the country. A county with fewer than 100 returns arriving or leaving is not given a figure. The measure counts people who file tax returns, misses those who do not, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) (2024)
- Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division — U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) (Filing years 2022 to 2023)
Related
Every figure here is recalculated from the same measurements the profiles use. See the methodology for how the underlying data is collected and normalized, and the editorial policy for how these reports are written.