Raising Arizona: Why Gen-Z is Moving Out West

Graduating college is one of the scariest experiences of your life. Finally independent and ready to go forge your own path.

For most of Gen Z (Born 1996-2004), it's that time, and they need a place to settle down and start the rest of their life. The desert is calling to them.

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Coming of Age

As Gen-Z enters the workforce and searches for a place to settle down, Arizona has become a top contender.

According to an analysis of Zillow data, Arizona is the tenth most popular state for Gen-Z to move to, with Texas taking its place at the top. This comes on top of Arizona being the fifth most moved to state for those from out-of-state.

While this survey may not be completely accurate (it neglects to include students or those recently in school), it still shows promise that Arizona is seeing growth, especially with a younger crowd.

Why Are They Coming?

There are plenty of reasons to move to Arizona, from its people, its natural beauty, or even the climate difference from the rest of the U.S., but the youth have a completely different reason: job opportunities.

As the job crisis grows worse and worse by the day, Gen-Z is in a mad dash to grab a well paying position to support them and their lifestyles. Arizona is ripe with new jobs, leading many younger people, especially college grads, to bite the bullet and move to the Grand Canyon state, despite the higher housing prices.

Edward Berchick, a principal population scientist at Zillow believes that this is due to younger people having more flexibility with their standard of living and wanting to enjoy the rest of their youth while they have it.