Center for Research & Data | Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Migration Update

Updated April 18, 2023

The Center for Research & Data at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber has been busy analyzing migration data into and out of the Cincinnati Region and has found some interesting changes in migration patterns. Looking at IRS migration data, we analyzed the changes in where new Cincinnatians were coming from in 2013 compared to 2020. One interesting, and positive, takeaway is that Cincinnati saw net positive migration from 352 different metro and micro areas in 2020, compared to 340 in 2012. In fact, we saw 50 or more new net residents from 39 different areas in 2020, compared to 18 areas in 2013. Overall, we saw a net gain of about 1,500 migrants in 2020, compared to a net loss of about 1,500 in 2013.

Additionally, there was a big change in where new Cincinnatians are coming from. Looking at the top ten metro areas for net migration into the Cincinnati region, the top result in both years was the Dayton area. However, the rest of the top ten shuffled considerably. In 2013, nine of the top ten metro areas from which we netted new residents were fully or partially based in Ohio or Kentucky. By 2020, that had dropped to four out of ten. Only Dayton and Toledo appeared on both lists, and smaller areas on the 2013 list like Elizabethtown, KY and Canton, OH, were replaced by large metro areas like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco on the 2020 list. The total net positive migration from the top ten metro areas went from about 1,700 to about 3,200. From this analysis, it appears that the Cincinnati Region has become more of a destination for folks looking for a big city amenities without the high costs found on the coasts. The Center for Research & Data will continue to track this migration data to see if that continues post-pandemic.

Migrations to and from the Cincinnati Region | 2013

Migrations to and from the Cincinnati Region | 2020

CHANGE BY MONTH

Total Migrations 2013 vs. 2020