NYC residents eye New York state, New Jersey, Pennsylvania for moves

High taxes, rising rents, and an overall increase in the cost of living are driving some New Yorkers to look for a new home outside of New York.

But they don’t necessarily move far.

Economists at Realtor.com identified the top destinations that received the most interest among people living in all five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The data analysis covers the third quarter of 2025, from July to September, before Zahran Mamdani wins the city’s mayoral election.

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New York State, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were among the top states with the most viewed listings on Realtor.com.

New York State, excluding the city, attracted the most interest from New Yorkers, accounting for just over 14% of listing views outside of the city. New Jersey followed closely behind at 12.9%, according to the data. Pennsylvania narrowly edged out Florida, accounting for 10.7% of views. Meanwhile, Florida listings accounted for 10.4%.

The data showed that these trends are largely driven by affordability. High rents and home prices are causing many Big Apple residents to look beyond the city limits in their search for homeownership, Realtor.com senior analyst Hannah Jones told FOX Business.

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“Recent home shopping activity indicates that buyers are looking for more space and more value for their money, while still wanting to remain accessible to the economic and cultural heart that is New York,” Jones said.

Jones also said the increasing prevalence of remote and hybrid work also helped their research, allowing more New Yorkers to live farther from downtown without sacrificing access to jobs.

New York State, New Jersey and Pennsylvania had the most viewed listings on Realtor.com. (Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“As a result, suburbs and nearby outer areas are becoming increasingly attractive to potential buyers looking to balance affordability, lifestyle and opportunity, trading the pace and prices of the city for more breathing space,” Jones said.

The Southern and Midwestern states are getting some attention, but their share of views from New York City residents has declined over the past year, according to the data.

The spread of remote and hybrid work has allowed more New Yorkers to live farther from downtown without sacrificing access to jobs. (Lindsay Nicholson/UCG/Universal Image Group via Getty Images)

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Top 10 states by most views outside of New York City in Q3 2025:

New York (excluding New York City) – 14.1%

New Jersey – 12.9%

Pennsylvania – 10.7%

Florida – 10.4%

North Carolina – 5.1%

Connecticut – 5.1%

Ohio – 5.0%

Massachusetts – 3.5%

Michigan – 3.2%

Georgia – 3.2%