More People Move to Tennessee During the Pandemic

Realtors across the state, including in Jackson, saw an increase in clients moving from other states during the pandemic. Some wanted a change of scenery while working from home, and others wanted a bigger bang for their buck.

Mike and Sandra Singleton of Singleton Home Team realtors said this year, they sold over 50 homes, with most of them to residents from other states.

“We have had more out of state people come this year than I think we’ve ever had in real estate,” said Sandra.

Reports show California’s Bay Area and New York City had high numbers of out-migration using u-hauls. Those areas also saw a significant decrease in incoming residents.

“We have people that have moved from Wisconsin, California, Illinois. A lot of the upper states,”

Mike Singleton compares it to the Oregon Trail Migration in the 1840s. He says the population in Tennessee has grown.

“This is the biggest migration since the Oregon Trail in the 1840s when you had half a million people go to the northeast. And that’s about the number that we’ve seen that are moving south. The population of Tennessee has been .83 of a percent.”

Working from home provides the luxury of living anywhere, and for some of the Singleton’s clients, the city life was too much.

“That’s what people are trying to get away from. And a lot of our people have bought because they have the opportunity where they can work remotely, so that’s allowing them to come to Tennessee.”

Reports show some people moved to Tennessee from Texas, Virginia, and Georgia. The Singletons are currently working with a couple from Las Vegas.