Who’s moving to Washington? This age group is fueling state population growth

Washington state’s population has been steadily on the rise.

In the past 10 years, more than a million new residents have arrived in the Evergreen State.

How recent is this growth trend? And which age groups are fueling it?

Here’s what we know:

How much has Washington state’s population grown?

In June, the Washington State Office of Financial Management reported that the Evergreen State had gained an estimated 79,400 new residents as of early April.

That brought the state’s total population to more than 8.1 million residents.

“Net migration — people moving in minus people moving out — is the largest driver of population growth, accounting for 78% of population growth,” the state Financial Management Office said in June.

More than 4 million of Washington residents live in the Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue metropolitan area, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

However, the state’s biggest metro area isn’t the only spot attracting newcomers.

Other parts of Washington, including the Spokane area and Whitman County, saw population increases as well, according to the state Office of Financial Management.

Who’s moving to Washington state?

According to Retirement Living, a retirement research journal, moving trends across the United States can vary by age group.

Retirement Living’s research team analyzed data from the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey to calculate net migration rates for each generation.

According to Retirement Living, Washington was No. 12 in the United States in terms of overall net migration, trailing behind top states Texas and Florida.

In a study published Nov. 6, Retirement Living found that 222,059 residents moved to Washington state, while 204,352 residents left the Evergreen State. This resulted in a net migration of 17,707 for the time period analyzed.

Are baby boomers leaving Washington?

According to Retirement Living, Washington ranked among the states that baby boomers — defined as those born between 1946 and 1964 — are leaving in the highest numbers.

Nearly 8,000 more boomers left Washington than moved to the state, according to Retirement Living.

These are the top five states that lost the most boomer residents in terms of net migration:

• 1. California: 35,179 residents
• 2. New York: 24,768 residents
• 3. Illinois: 12,024 residents
• 4. Washington: 7,969 residents
• 5. New Jersey: 7,315 residents

Why are millennials moving to Washington?

More millennials moved to Washington than nearly any other state, according to Retirement Living.

“As millennials work on growing their retirement savings, they may be drawn to Washington not only for its high-paying tech jobs and outdoors-focused lifestyle, but also because it doesn’t tax pensions, Social Security benefits, individual retirement accounts or 401(k)s,” Retirement Living said.

Nearly 19,000 more millennials — defined as those born between 1981 and 1996 — relocated to Washington than left it, the study found.

According to Retirement Living, these were the five states where the most millennials moved, based on net migration gains:

• 1. Texas: 35,445 residents
• 2. Washington: 18,959 residents
• 3. Georgia: 18,663 residents
• 4. Nevada: 18,501 residents
• 5. Maryland: 15,328 residents

What about other age groups?

Retirement Living also looked at generational moving trends for the Silent Generation, Generation X and Generation Z.

However, those age groups did not have a significant net migration gain or net migration loss in the Evergreen State, according to the study.

Where are Americans relocating? See moving trends

Lower living costs and warmer climates are luring more people to the South, Retirement Living found, noting that eight out of the top 10 states for overall net migration can be found in that region.

Overall, Texas gained the most residents, while California lost the most.

According to Retirement Living, the top 10 states for net migration were:

• 1. Texas
• 2. Florida
• 3. North Carolina
• 4. Arizona
• 5. South Carolina
• 6. Nevada
• 7. Georgia
• 8. Tennessee
• 9. Oklahoma
• 10. Alabama

Which US states are losing the most residents?

These 10 states lost the most residents overall through net migration, according to Retirement Living:

• 1. California
• 2. New York
• 3. Illinois
• 4. New Jersey
• 5. Massachusetts
• 6. Colorado
• 7. Pennsylvania
• 8. Louisiana
• 9. Alaska
• 10. Iowa