A recent report by moveBuddha has revealed the “most-fled” cities in the U.S.
More specifically, the report examines recent search data to figure out which areas people want to move to — versus which places people are leaving.
One of the biggest themes in the study was that many movers are trying to get away from suburban regions.
[BELOW: Check out the best place to rent in Florida]
“In the end, suburbs that were once their city’s crown jewels, ringed with parks, restaurants and soccer fields, are sinking under the weight of aging homes and high prices predicated on commuters seeing value in a slightly shorter daily drive,” the report reads.
Port Richey was no exception to this, ranking No. 3 nationwide for the least popular cities, researchers said.
According to the report, issues with coastal insurance premiums and older housing stock have driven much of the flight.
“In Port Richey, the average home dates from 1982, whereas other North Tampa options like Wesley Chapel (one of the country’s top move-to suburbs) offer homes dating from 2005, on average.
Meanwhile, Port Richey’s coastal lifestyle is dulled by insurance panic in a city where 97.7% of homes carry flood risk, and premiums are up 40% since 2022.
Newcomers may be swapping their waterfront worry for inland recreational alternatives, like Wesley Chapel’s lagoon water park and 5-rink ice arena.”
moveBuddha, "2025's Least Popular City in Every State: Which Cities Are People Fleeing Right Now?"
Aside from insurance and housing, researchers said that weak job prospects and newer, better neighboring cities were two of the biggest factors leading to the top-ranked cities on the list.
The top 25 cities in the U.S. are as follows:
| Rank | City | In-to-Out Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Des Moines, IA | 0.18 |
| 2 | San Marcos, CA | 0.25 |
| 3 | Port Richey, FL | 0.36 |
| 4 | Yonkers, NY | 0.4 |
| 5 | Moscow, ID | 0.41 |
| 6 | Norwalk, CT | 0.42 |
| 7 | Lowell, MA | 0.43 |
| 8 | Ellicott City, MD | 0.43 |
| 9 | Woodbridge, VA | 0.44 |
| 10 | Issaquah, WA | 0.44 |
| 11 | Smyrna, GA | 0.45 |
| 12 | Bayonne, NJ | 0.46 |
| 13 | Lafayette, IN | 0.46 |
| 14 | Avondale, AZ | 0.49 |
| 15 | The Colony, TX | 0.49 |
| 16 | Gresham, OR | 0.49 |
| 17 | Joliet, IL | 0.50 |
| 18 | Bellevue, NE | 0.50 |
| 19 | Thornton, CO | 0.52 |
| 20 | Orem, UT | 0.53 |
| 21 | Kenosha, WI | 0.57 |
| 22 | Lansdale, PA | 0.58 |
| 23 | Grand Forks, ND | 0.58 |
| 24 | Kernersville, NC | 0.58 |
| 25 | Memphis, TN | 0.58 |