Real Estate
Home›Real Estate›Residential›Americans still leave high poor-air counties, but migr…
Americans still leave high poor-air counties, but migration slows in 2025
In 2025, high-risk counties saw a net outflow of 277,740 people, compared with a 603,270 peak net outflow in 2021.
Americans continue to move away from U.S. counties where a large share of homes face high risk of poor air quality, but the pace has slowed versus the pandemic era. Redfin reports that in 2025, counties in the top 10% for poor-air risk had 277,740 more people move out than move in.
The outflow was less than half of the peak net outflow in 2021, when high-risk counties lost 603,270 residents, with declines occurring each year since then. Redfin also found that low-risk counties recorded a net inflow of 296,342 in 2025, down from 594,556 in 2021.
Affordability appears to be a key driver of where people choose to relocate. Redfin notes that many high-risk counties with the biggest losses, including Los Angeles County, Brooklyn’s Kings County, Orange County, and King County in Seattle, are among the nation’s most expensive, while some high-risk places that gained residents, such as Ada County in Idaho and Weld County in Colorado, are comparatively affordable.
The shift in migration patterns may also reflect fewer pandemic-driven relocations from major job hubs. Redfin cites Santa Clara County’s net loss falling to 19,775 in 2025 from 58,753 in 2021, and Los Angeles County’s net outflow dropping to 105,471 from 195,168, as wildfire smoke becomes more frequent and intense across regions.