South Carolina has claimed the top spot in the nation for Baby Boomers on the move, according to U-Haul's newly released 2026 Midyear Migration Report, with Charleston and Myrtle Beach both ranking among the top five metro areas drawing older relocators. The state isn't just winning over retirees, either — it also landed at No. 3 nationally for Gen X movers, trailing only Florida and Texas.
U-Haul reached these rankings by analyzing one-way moving transactions over 52 weeks, from July 2025 through June 2026, according to Greenville News. The company's separate metro-level analysis, which tracked departures from major U.S. metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 1 million, found that South Carolina was the single top net-gain destination state for Boomers leaving the Atlanta metro area between mid-2025 and mid-2026, according to U-Haul.
Charleston, in particular, emerged as a leading destination for both Gen X movers and Boomers fleeing North Carolina, while Columbia also ranked as a top metro draw for North Carolina movers. In fact, North Carolina Boomers ranked South Carolina first among all states to move to. South Carolina also ranked fifth among top destinations for Boomers leaving Alabama, per the same report cited by Greenville News.
Six of Seven Top Boomer Destinations Sit in the Southeast
U-Haul's midyear findings show six of the top seven net-gain states for Boomers were located in the Southeast, with South Carolina ranking No. 1 overall nationally. For Gen X movers — those born between 1965 and 1980 — Florida and Texas took the top two national spots, with South Carolina finishing third, ahead of Tennessee and Alabama, per Barchart.
Notably, Florida stood alone as the only state to rank in the top 10 net-gain destinations across all four adult generations tracked in U-Haul's analysis — Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, while Gen Z spans 1997 through 2012, according to the Greenville News report. South Carolina's rankings, by contrast, are reported for Boomers and Gen X.
Census Data Confirms the State's Rapid Growth
The U-Haul figures line up with broader U.S. Census Bureau estimates showing South Carolina was the fastest-growing state in the nation by percentage between July 2024 and July 2025, expanding by 1.5% and adding nearly 80,000 residents, according to the Post and Courier. Domestic migration, not births, drove nearly all of that expansion — Census Bureau estimates released through the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reported a net addition of 66,622 residents from other states during that period, compared with just 564 residents added through natural population change.
South Carolina now ranks as the 23rd most populated state in the country, with a population of 5,570,274, per Greenville News. The state's labor market also looked steady heading into summer: South Carolina's Department of Employment and Workforce reported an unemployment rate of 4.4% in June, down 0.2 percentage points from May, with 2,554,577 people employed out of a labor force of 2,672,865 and a labor-force participation rate of 58.9%.
Tax Breaks Sweeten the Deal for Retirees
Financial incentives appear to be a major pull for older movers specifically. South Carolina does not tax Social Security benefits at the state level and allows residents 65 and older to deduct up to $10,000 in retirement income from IRAs, 401(k)s, and pensions, according to SmartAsset. South Carolina has income tax brackets, and the state's effective residential property tax rate sits at roughly 0.45%.
Seniors who have lived in South Carolina for a full calendar year also qualify for a Homestead Exemption that shields the first $50,000 of their primary residence's fair market value from property taxes. State lawmakers are looking to expand that relief further — in February, the South Carolina Senate advanced legislation known as S.768 to triple the senior homestead exemption to $150,000 for qualifying homeowners who already held the exemption in 2025, according to the South Carolina Policy Council. The proposal includes tiered residency requirements for future applicants.
Cost of living is another draw: South Carolina runs roughly 5% to 9% below the national average, and the state has hot summers and mild winters, factors RentCafe notes continue to attract new residents across generations amid what Greenville News describes as steady economic opportunity.
Growth Brings Strain Alongside the Boom
Not every consequence of the influx is a win for existing residents. University of South Carolina research economist Joseph Von Nessen told the Post and Courier that while sustained population growth has boosted local residential construction and expanded retail options, it has also exacerbated housing market supply imbalances and placed heavy demands on local road and school infrastructure. Growth accelerated after the pandemic and changed the state's cultural makeup, per the same report.
Whether South Carolina can keep pace with the demand its own popularity is generating remains an open question for state and local planners, even as the moving trucks keep arriving from Atlanta, Charlotte, and beyond.
