Report: Austin is no longer the No. 1 Texas city for millennials

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey, the study, “Where Millennials Are Moving,” found that one in four millennials moved to a different city last year. Millennials moved to over 260 cities across the nation in 2022. Top cities were ranked based on “the highest percentage of the population represented by newly-transplanted millennials,” according to the study. 

Austin attracted 103,461 millennials within the ages of 25 to 44 last year, with new residents making up 10.7% of the city’s overall population. The average age for millennials in Austin is about 35 years old, according to the study. Millennials make up nearly 40% of Austin’s fairly-young population. 

However, one Central Texas city had an even greater shift in millennial movers. Ranking right above Austin at No. 8 is Killeen, which drew in close to 17,000 millennials or 10.8% of its population, according to the report. Located 70 miles north of Austin, Killeen had a 2022 population of about 159,000 and a median age of 30 years old, which is the second-lowest for millennials in the Top 10. In September, SmartAsset named Killeen as having one of the best housing markets in the country for first-time buyers.

The report also says one in four millennials moved to a different city last year. Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the No. 1 U.S. city with the highest proportional influx of millennial newcomers at nearly 15%.

Here are the top 10 cities SmartAsset listed as where millennials are moving: 

1 – Cambridge, Massachusetts
2 – Santa Clara, California
3 – Seattle, Washington
4 – Sunnyvale, California
5 – Denver, Colorado
6 – Arlington, Virginia
7 – Bellevue, Washington
8 – Killeen, Texas
9 – Austin, Texas
10 – Sandy Springs, Georgia