25 US cities where families are leaving in droves

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25 US cities where families are leaving in droves

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  • New data from MagnifyMoney looks at the cities where the most American families with children are choosing to leave.
  • Some of the biggest and most expensive US cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago took the top spots, with over 20,000 families leaving each city between 2016 and 2017.
  • However, other smaller cities also found families leaving, like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Bridgeport, Connecticut.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The number of families moving away says a lot about a city. In these 25 US cities, families are choosing to move elsewhere, according to new data collected by MagnifyMoney.

Looking at US Census bureau migration records for 2016 and 2017, the cities were ranked by the net mobility, or the number of families moving out minus the number of families moving in. For the purpose of this list, MagnifyMoney only considered households with children under the age of 18.

The cities with the highest population moving out were large cities including New York and Los Angeles. However, smaller cities also lost more families than they gained, with places like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; and St. Louis, Missouri all losing a few thousand families over the course of the year.

These 25 cities lost the most families between 2016 and 2017:

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25. Fort Collins, Colorado

25. Fort Collins, Colorado

Over 1,500 families left Fort Collins, Colorado between 2016 and 2017, and rising costs of living there might be pushing some families to relocate.

Number of families that left: 1,565

Net loss of families: 1,060

24. Knoxville, Tennessee

24. Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee saw quite a few families leave, despite fairly affordable housing and costs of living.

Number of families that left: 3,581

Net loss of families: 1,074

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23. New Orleans, Louisiana

23. New Orleans, Louisiana

Well over 2,000 families left the Big Easy between 2016 and 2017.

Number of families that left: 2,772

Net loss of families: 1,080

22. Salisbury, Maryland

22. Salisbury, Maryland

Salisbury, Connecticut had many residents leave between 2016 and 2017.

Number of families that left: 1,801

Net loss of families: 1,119

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21. Louisville, Kentucky

21. Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky also lost quite a few families this year, despite being relatively affordable.

Number of families that left: 3,411

Net loss of families: 1,142

20. Amarillo, Texas

20. Amarillo, Texas

Quite a few families decided to leave Amarillo, Texas for other cities.

Number of families that left: 2,199

Net loss of families: 1,227

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19. St. Louis, Missouri

19. St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis might have relatively low housing costs, but families are still leaving by the thousands. That said, over 5,700 families moved to St. Louis in the same time period.

Number of families that left: 7,052

Net loss of families: 1,301

18. Portland, Maine

 18. Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine doesn't have quite as many people leaving as St. Louis, but it certainly has fewer moving in, making for a higher net loss.

Number of families that left: 1,808

Net loss of families: 1,312

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17. Bridgeport, Connecticut

17. Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport is falling behind the rest of Connecticut in terms of wealth, and many residents are opting to leave.

Number of families that left: 4,543

Net loss of families: 1,326

16. Cape Coral and Fort Meyers, Florida

16. Cape Coral and Fort Meyers, Florida

Costs are on the rise in the beach cities of Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida.

Number of families that left: 2,810

Net loss of families: 1,345

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15. Hawaii

15. Hawaii

Hawaiian cities are getting increasingly expensive, and some families are saying goodbye to the Aloha State.

Number of families that left: 6,612

Net loss of families: 1,353

14. Charleston, South Carolina

14. Charleston, South Carolina

Families are leaving this picturesque, coastal southern city by the thousands.

Number of families that left: 4,007

Net loss of families: 1,392

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13. Albany, New York

13. Albany, New York

While upstate New York is still relatively affordable for families, many are choosing to leave.

Number of families that left: 2,782

Net loss of families: 1,406

12. San Jose, California

12. San Jose, California

Skyrocketing costs in San Jose are causing many families to leave.

Number of families that left: 7,545

Net loss of families: 1,702

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11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is changing quickly, and becoming more expensive thanks to a recent tech boom.

Number of families that left: 5,713

Net loss of families: 1,774

10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee families are leaving this Wisconsin city in large numbers.

Number of families that left: 4,256

Net loss of families: 2,097

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9. Albuquerque, New Mexico

9. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque residents are leaving quicker than they're coming.

Number of families that left: 3,986

Net loss of families: 2,328

8. Seattle, Washington

8. Seattle, Washington

Seattle residents are facing high costs of living, leaving many families to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Number of families that left: 13,667

Net loss of families: 2,445

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7. San Diego, California

7. San Diego, California

San Diego, California residents face high costs of living and expensive housing and rental markets.

Number of families that left: 13,736

Net loss of families: 3,384

6. Miami, Florida

6. Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida's housing market is becoming rather unaffordable, which might contribute to the high number of families leaving.

Number of families that left: 14,523

Net loss of families: 4,712

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5. Washington DC

5. Washington DC

Number of families that left: 19,932

Net loss of families: 5,596

4. San Francisco, California

4. San Francisco, California

San Francisco residents are seeing some of the highest costs of living in the US, and many families are deciding to leave.

Number of families that left: 15,490

Net loss of families: 8,713

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3. Chicago, Illinois

3. Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois lost over 22,000 families over the course of a year.

Number of families that left: 22,400

Net loss of families: 10,549

2. Los Angeles, California

2. Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is expensive for many families, and in just one year, about 28,000 decided to move elsewhere.

Number of families that left: 28,642

Net loss of families: 14,754

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1. New York, New York

1. New York, New York

Let's face it: New York City isn't cheap. It's no wonder that many New Yorkers are choosing to move out of the city to raise a family.

Number of families that left: 38,118

Net loss of families: 24,969