Placer.ai — which uses cell phone data to analyze foot traffic down to a property level — regularly examines different questions about CRE markets, like consumers turning to convenience stores while personal income saw tepid growth or increased office visits not making up for high vacancy rates.

In this new report, some metro areas saw positive net migration. The metro areas in question had populations ranging from 500,000 to 2.5 million. They had positive net migration from July 2020 to July 2024 and include Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (3.6%); Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR (3.3%); Raleigh-Cary, NC (2.6%); Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (1.4%); Oklahoma City, OK (1.1%); and Madison, WI (0.6%).

All five saw more people moving into them than moving out over the past four years, with the positive net migration continuing over the past 12 months.