The pandemic is driving an upswing in relocations — and so far, Nevada is emerging as one of the big winners. In the first quarter of 2021, the Silver State was the nation’s most moved-to, according to new migration data from tracking website Updater, which analyzed roughly 300,000 U.S. moves.

With the rise of remote work and people fleeing California, Nevada was a logical and attractive choice for many individuals and families. The economy is diversifying beyond gaming and tourism, and the pandemic accelerated that process.

Nevada’s proximity to California is a major contributor to its success. The Golden State’s housing crisis is infamous: Updater’s analysis ranked it among the 20 states with the highest percentage of outbound moves. A lot of those people are heading across the border to Nevada.
There’s no state income tax, a characteristic Nevada shares with four of the top 10 inbound states in Updater’s study.

If the pandemic did anything, it made people rethink their life decisions. It has been a growing trend for people to move from high-tax states to low-tax states.

With the rise of remote work and people fleeing California, Nevada is a logical and attractive choice for many individuals and families.

Property taxes in Nevada are relatively low, too. Silver State residents pay an effective property tax rate of 0.60%, the ninth-lowest in the country, per WalletHub. Over 20 states have property tax rates of 1% or more.
The majority of new residents turn over their license or ID card from their previous state, which gives a good idea of where people moving to Nevada generally come from.

In 2020, there were 69,660 out-of-state driver’s licenses and ID cards surrendered to the state, according to Nevada Department of Motor Vehicle data.

As one would expect, the overwhelming majority turning in their old state’s licenses or ID cards last year hailed from California.

The Golden State represented 29,918 of the surrendered cards, accounting for 43 percent of those turned in last year.
Thousands of people have moved to the Silver State amid the pandemic, and local leaders say they're bringing their businesses with them.

Nevada is seeing a business boom as countless companies are relocating to Nevada. 

The trend follows the migration of people relocating from California and other nearby states during the pandemic, seeking more affordable real estate, fewer pandemic restrictions and quality of life factors.

Companies are seeking "bang for their buck" with low taxes and overhead costs, as well as business-friendly laws and courts.
 
"There's excitement on the street in terms of businesses coming here," said Professor Stephen Miller, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research. 
Miller describes the recent moves as pent-up demand that brewed prior to the pandemic, but facing hurdles in 2020.
 
"Businesses in Nevada are subject to less paperwork, lower costs, access to labor and the location. It's easy to access West Coast ports," Miller said, noting trends in manufacturing, technology and medicine. 

The Governor's Office of Economic Development said since spring re-openings, there has been a high uptick from corporations seeking incentives to move to the Silver State.

Nevada’s job growth over the past five years has been the best in the country.

People continue to flock to the state with Nevada expected to have the highest population growth through 2023. People are chasing jobs with the state projected by Moody’s Analytics to have the second fastest employment growth during that time.