.png?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800&w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "America’s most ‘in-demand’ suburb revealed in new study")
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Wake Forest, North Carolina, a fast-growing town with about 56,000 residents, has surged to the top of national rankings as the most in-demand suburb in the United States.
Just north of Raleigh, Wake Forest is attracting far more interest from people looking to move in than from those looking to leave, cementing its status as one of the hottest relocation destinations in the country, according to newly updated data by MoveBuddha, an online resource for moving and storage.
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and Boerne, Texas, also stand out as top suburbs, as Americans increasingly look to move to friendly, livable suburbs, with one in four movers saying they want a welcoming suburban community in 2026, according to the data.
The research also named the top in-demand suburb in each of the 43 qualifying states, showing robust suburban growth across the Midwest and Upper Midwest, including Perrysburg, Ohio, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and Edina, Minnesota.
The rankings, compiled from millions of searches on MoveBuddha’s moving cost calculator between February 2025 and January 2026, measure what the site calls an “in-to-out” move ratio: the number of inbound move inquiries compared with outbound searches.
Analysts say high in-to-out move ratios can signal where people plan to relocate even before official U.S. Census migration data is released. Wake Forest stood out with a striking 4.65-to-1 ratio, nearly five searches from potential movers for every one from people looking to leave, far surpassing other suburbs. Its median home price of just over $500,000, combined with community atmosphere, proximity to job markets, and perceived quality of life, has made it especially appealing.
Only suburbs with at least 20 searches for moves in and out were included, yielding data for 43 states. Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and New Hampshire had no qualifying suburbs. Home prices are based on Zillow’s Home Value Index December 2025.
The top 10 in-demand U.S. suburbs to live in, according to moveBuddha, are as follows:
- Wake Forest, North Carolina– In-to-out move ratio: 4.65. December 2025 home price: $508,022
- Murrells Inlet, South Carolina – In-to-out move ratio: 3.80. December 2025 home price: $387,908
- Boerne, Texas – In-to-out move ratio: 3.00. December 2025 home price: $548,478
- Mount Dora, Florida – In-to-out move ratio: 2.75. December 2025 home price: $384,552
- Maryville, Tennessee – In-to-out move ratio: 2.41. December 2025 home price: $379,081
- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin – In-to-out move ratio: 2.32. December 2025 home price: $396,436
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma – In-to-out move ratio: 2.16. December 2025 home price: $281,538
- Broomfield, Colorado – In-to-out move ratio: 2.02. December 2025 home price: $615,026
- Casa Grande, Arizona – In-to-out move ratio: 1.93. December 2025 home price: $315,131
- Edina, Minnesota – In-to-out move ratio: 1.90. December 2025 home price: $587,749
“While not every search turns into a move, search behavior offers an early signal of where interest is building,” MoveBuddha website wrote about the recent report on its report. “We won’t know for sure where today’s movers really go until the 2026 Census data estimates are released in 2027, but their interest can tell us a lot about their dreams and plans for the coming year before they even move.”
Wake Forest, a town in the Triangle area of North Carolina, has repeatedly gained national attention for its growth and appeal. In 2024, it was recognized as one of the nation’s top “booming” suburbs for job growth and desirability, according to The News & Observer.