Methodology

Active for-sale listing counts, median list prices, and median days on market come from the Realtor.com Residential Listings inventory — the research data portal Realtor.com publishes specifically for redistribution in analysis. The snapshot uses the state-level core metrics bulk file RDC_Inventory_Core_Metrics_State.csv, covering August 2026.

Realtor.com provides this file for public analysis, and the figures used here are limited to derived state-level aggregates, consistent with the portal's terms.

Migration figures come from the US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, which the Census Bureau publishes as public domain government data. The snapshot uses the state totals dataset (NST-EST2025), covering the period July 2024 - July 2025.

From this dataset the dashboard takes each state's population, net domestic migration, and international migration. The "moving to" and "moving out of" tables rank states by net domestic migration — the net number of people moving between US states — which excludes international migration, births, and deaths.

Household moves and income flows come from the IRS SOI state-to-state migration data (public government data), Tax years 2022 - 2023, based on the address changes on tax returns. For each state the dashboard keeps only the total returns moving in from and out to other US states, and the net adjusted gross income (AGI) those households brought in or took with them. Net households = inflow returns − outflow returns; net income moved = inflow AGI − outflow AGI.

The income tax badge shows each state's top marginal individual income tax rate for tax year 2025, compiled from rates published by state revenue departments (public facts, not a third-party table). "No income tax" marks states with no broad tax on wage income; Washington taxes some capital gains only, and Massachusetts includes its surtax on high incomes. Local income taxes are not included.

Unemployment rates come from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics and job growth from BLS State and Metro Area Employment (CES), August 2026 (preliminary), fetched through the public BLS data API (public domain). Job growth = 12-month percent change in total nonfarm jobs (seasonally adjusted). State unemployment is seasonally adjusted; metro unemployment is the latest published month, not seasonally adjusted.

Cost of living comes from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items), 2024, downloaded as the published state and metropolitan-area bulk files (public government data). The index compares price levels for goods, services and rents against the national average, set to 100.

The metro drill-down under the map uses the metropolitan-area versions of the same published files: Realtor.com metro inventory (August 2026), BEA metro price parities (2024), BLS metro unemployment (July 2026) and BLS metro payroll jobs (August 2026). Metros are Census-defined Metropolitan Statistical Areas; up to four per state are shown, selected by household size rank and assigned to the first state named in the area title.

Snapshots are rebuilt only from official published bulk files and public APIs — the Realtor.com econdata portal, Census Bureau downloads, the BLS public data API, IRS SOI files and BEA releases — never from scraping listing pages. Every refresh updates the capture date shown on the dashboard so figures are always dated.

Automated monthly refresh. On the 15th of each month the dashboard re-reads the two monthly sources — the Realtor.com state core-metrics file and the BLS unemployment and payroll series — and stores the newest published month as a fresh dated snapshot. If nothing new has been published, the existing snapshot is kept unchanged. The annual sources (Census migration, IRS migration, BEA cost of living) and state tax rates are refreshed by hand when each new edition is released, since they are published once a year or per tax year.

Realtor.com and US Census Bureau names, data, and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. This site presents summarized aggregates for analysis and claims no affiliation with either organization.