IRVINE, CA—RealtyTrac has analyzed USCensus population data between 2007 and2013 in more than 1,800 counties nationwide to discoverwhich markets are seeing the biggest shifts in both baby boomer andmillennial populations. The firm has overlaid that data withinformation on median prices, price appreciation and rental ratesto create a heat map of their migration patterns. The analysisfurther focused in on the top 10 counties forincreases and decreases in both millennials and baby boomers.

“The millennial generation is the key to a sustained real estaterecovery and boomers who are downsizing are helping open the doorfor many first time homebuyers while also driving demand forpurchases and rentals in the markets where they are moving,” saidDaren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac.“Naturally, millennials are attracted to markets with good jobprospects and low unemployment but that tend to have high rentalrates and high home price appreciation, while boomers are moving tolower populated areas which have slower home priceappreciation.”

The millennial generation is generally moving fromlower-priced to higher-priced markets for bothbuying and renting, with the tradeoff being more jobs (lowerunemployment) and higher median incomes in the markets they aremoving to. The top two counties for percentage increase inmillennials between 2007 and 2013 were in the DC metro area —Arlington County, VA, which saw an increase ofmillennials of 82% and Alexandria City, VA, whichsaw and increase of 81% . Not surprisingly both counties have afavorable unemployment rate of 3.2% and3.6% respectively, well below the nationalaverage. Orleans Parish, LA, in the New Orleans metro area, wasthird, with an increase of 71% and San Francisco County, where highhome appreciation hasn't scared away millennials, was fourth on thelist with an increase of 68%. Rounding out the top five wasDenver County, CO, which saw an increase of57% in its millennial population between 2007 and2013.