Relocation Central

New report shows people move to Texas faster than they move out

We Texans like to think that people who aren't born here get here as fast as they can. And, for the most part, we are right: According to the 2014 Texas Relocation Report put out by the Texas Association of Realtors, the Lone Star State leads the nation in relocation activity — in and out. But mostly in.

According to the report, Texas ranked No. 1 in out-of-state resident gains, with 584,034 people moving to Texas from elsewhere in 2013. A majority of these residents originated from California (66,318), followed by Florida (32,619), Oklahoma (29,169), Louisiana (29,042) and Illinois (28,900).

“Texas’ reign as the top ‘domestic migration destination’ in the nation continues to be fueled by unprecedented economic growth,” said Dan Hatfield, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors, in a release. “There are few states that can match the Lone Star State’s current job opportunities, multi-industry growth and residential quality of life. Whether you live in a major metro area or in a small town, Texas is a great place to do business and build a home.”

According to the report, Texas ranked No. 1 in out-of-state resident gains, with 584,034 people moving to Texas from elsewhere in 2013.

Not everyone is keen on staying here, however: Texas also ranked third in the nation for number of residents moving out of state in 2013 (409,977). That said, people are getting out of California (581,689) and Florida (423,995) faster. Behind Texas was New York (401,440) and Illinois (304,674).

We appear to be trading residents, because the majority of Texans who moved out of state went to California (32,290), followed by Oklahoma (27,391), Florida (24,226), Colorado (23,490) and Louisiana (21,747). However, overall, Texas had a net gain of out-of-state residents in 2013, with 138,057 more people moving here than moving out.

The 2014 Texas Relocation Report also shows five-year migration data (2008-2012) on a county-by-county basis for counties within the top 43 designated market areas in Texas. Harris, Dallas and Tarrant counties took the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively, for overall inflow and outflow of out-of-county residents.

However, when it comes to net gains and losses, Denton County took the prize for highest net gains in out-of-county residents (13,754), while Dallas was the biggest loser, posting a net loss of 25,461 residents. Harris County came in second on the loss side behind Dallas.

The report also looked the counties based on out-of-state activity. Again, Harris and Dallas counties took the top two slots for outflow of residents to other states; Harris County was also No. 1 in terms of out-of-state residents coming in. Tarrant County ranked second in out-of-state resident inflow; Dallas landed at No. 8. Travis County ranked third for incoming out-of-state residents and sixth for out-of-state bound people.

In terms of net gains of out-of-state residents, Harris, Tarrant and Travis counties took the top three spots; Dallas was No. 8. As far as net losses were concerned, no North Texas counties fell in the top 10.

Here is a snapshot of Dallas County stats:

No. 2 county for total inflow of people
No. 2 county for total outflow of people
No. 43 county for net inflow of people
No. 3 county for total out-of-state inflow of people
No. 2 county for total out-of-state outflow of people
No. 8 county for net out-of-state inflow of people

The Texas Relocation Report is based on data from the 2013 American Community Survey and the 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates by the U.S.Census Bureau as well as the U-Haul 2013 National Migration Trend Reports.

Harris County took the top spot in number of out-of-state residents coming in.

IdeasLaboratory.com

Harris County took the top spot in number of out-of-state residents coming in.

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income analysis

This is how much a single-income family needs to make in Texas in 2026

Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash

The income needed for a single-income household to raise a child in Texas is lower than it was last year.

With childrearing costs in the Lone Star State adding up to tens of thousands of dollars per year, many Texas families are navigating a difficult decision: should both parents work or should one parent stay home to raise the child?

For Texas families that choose the latter, the working parent needs to make nearly $73,000 per year to support their child and the stay-at-home parent, a new income analysis has revealed.

The newly released SmartAsset report used MIT's Living Wage Calculator to estimate the annual living wages needed across all 50 states for a three-person household with two working adults and one child, and a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. Costs included food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes, and "other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent needs to make $72,925 to support their stay-at-home counterpart and their child, the study found. That's $1,809 less than what was needed in 2025.

Meanwhile, the combined income needed for a household with one child and both parents working full-time is $85,030.

Texas ranked No. 42 in SmartAsset's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working parent, one stay-at-home parent, and one child. That also situates Texas as the 9th most affordable state for single-income families. But there are risks associated with only having one breadwinner in the family.

"A single income family with small children potentially saves in child care costs over a household with two working parents," the report's author wrote. "The main disadvantages are the lost salary and retirement contributions, Social Security earnings history and employer health benefits."

There aren't any specific tax benefits to having a parent stay at home to raise their child full time, but SmartAsset says single-income families can claim a tax credit under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"[S]ingle-income families may claim the Child Tax Credit — up to $2,200 per qualifying child for 2026 ($1,700 refundable) — on the same terms as any other family," the report said.

SmartAsset's latest report only looks at costs on a statewide basis, but the cost to raise a child will also vary greatly depending on the city you live in. Raising a child in Dallas-Fort Worth might pose a challenge for some families, where the cost for childcare alone adds up to $10,736 and overall costs can surpass $23,000.

For households with two children, there might be additional strains on what a family might consider a "comfortable living." A March 2026 SmartAsset study determined a Dallas family with two working parents need to make a combined income of $214,490 to have a financially stable life while raising two children.

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income needed for single-income families are:

Arkansas ($68,869)
Mississippi ($70,054)
Kentucky ($70,179)
West Virginia ($70,283)
North Dakota ($71,219)
Oklahoma ($71,365)
Louisiana ($71,406)
Missouri ($72,862)
Texas ($72,925)
Tennessee ($72,946)

smartasset reports texas family income