Austin continues to shift as people move into and around it. A new population analysis by online loan marketplace LendingTree has named Austin the No. 1 metro for recent movers.

The study used population data from a 2021 U.S. Census Bureau survey to determine householders and renters who moved to their current home in 2019 or later. It reflects people moving around Austin as well as moving into it, so it's not just new Austinites being counted.

About 39 percent of combined homeowners and renters living in their current Austin homes moved there within the three-year scope of the study. For homeowners, that's about 21 percent, compared to about 65 percent of renters.

The three-year median home value appreciation rate in Austin was 24.72 percent, the study says, echoing similar reports that the Texas capital remains one of the top housing markets for growth.

But other reports that are not looking at such longterm averages are showing that the market seems to be stabilizing recently. In July of 2023, home prices in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan statistical area dropped 10 percent from the previous year to $462,000.

Rent appreciation was not as dramatic, but renters are surely feeling it regardless. The data shows the three-year median gross rent appreciation rate was 7.54 percent.

Renters are much more likely to move than homeowners due to multiple factors: personal circumstances, rising rent prices, landlords who want to change their lease terms, and many others.

"While some regulations protect renters and make it harder for landlords to force them out of their homes, these protections aren’t always robust," the study says. "Because of this, renters can more frequently find themselves in situations where they’re forced to move, even if they like their current home or are strapped for cash."

Dallas fell right behind Austin with about 35 percent of homeowners and renters moving between 2019 and 2021. Houston was the only other Texas city to make the top 10, ranking No. 7 with nearly 34 percent of homeowners and renters moving within the same time frame.

The U.S. metros with the largest shares of homeowners and renters who moved in 2019 or later are:

• No. 1 – Austin, Texas (38.82 percent)
• No. 2 – Dallas, Texas (34.91 percent)
• No. 3 – Las Vegas, Nevada (34.81 percent)
• No. 4 – Denver, Colorado (34.71 percent)
• No. 5 – Orlando, Florida (34.55 percent)
• No. 6 – Phoenix, Arizona (34.03 percent)
• No. 7 – Houston, Texas (33.50 percent)
• No. 8 – Jacksonville, Florida (33.27 percent)
• No. 9 – Nashville, Tennessee (33.14 percent)
• No. 10 – Salt Lake City, Utah (32.94 percent)