Americans Leaving Areas with High Risk of Poor Air Quality

Seattle, WA, August 31, 2026—Americans are moving away from places facing high risk of poor air quality, but at a slower pace than during the pandemic, reports Redfin. In 2025, 277,740 more people moved out of high-risk U.S. counties than into them. That’s less than half the peak net outflow of 603,270 in 2021; the outflow has fallen each year since then. 

Some places at high risk of poor air quality are bucking the trend. Boise, ID, Lake Tahoe, CA and Provo, UT are among the places that gained thousands of residents last year, suggesting that affordability, lifestyle and other draws are outweighing potentially smoky air. 

More people are moving into than out of U.S. counties at low risk of poor air quality–but at a slower rate than during the pandemic. Counties at low risk posted a net inflow of 296,342 in 2025, roughly half the 594,556 inflow in 2021; inflows have declined each year since then. 

This is based on a Redfin analysis of domestic migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau (excludes immigration) and climate-risk scores from First Street, a part of MSCI. We define a high-risk county as one in the top 10% for the share of homes facing high risk of poor air quality—in other words, counties with 12.2%-100% of homes facing high risk. Migration data for 2025 covers July 1, 2024-July 1, 2025. Net outflow measures how many more people moved out of than into an area, while net inflow measures how many more people moved in than out. Data is subject to revision.

Relocation trends are strongly related to housing costs. Many high-risk counties that are losing the most residents–including Los Angeles County, Kings County (Brooklyn), Orange County and King County (Seattle)–are among the nation’s most expensive. Meanwhile, several high-risk counties gaining residents, like Ada County, ID (Boise) and Weld County, CO, are fairly affordable. 

The slowdown in outmigration also reflects the fading pandemic-era exodus from major job hubs. Santa Clara County, CA, lost 19,775 residents in 2025, down from 58,753 in 2021. Los Angeles County’s net outflow fell to 105,471 from 195,168, while Kings County’s dropped to 38,847 from 100,839.

Air quality is top of mind as wildfire smoke becomes more frequent and intense. For instance, the Spokane Complex fires blanketed much of Washington, Oregon and Idaho in hazardous smoke in early August, and Canadian wildfires spread unhealthy smoke through the Midwest and East Coast in July. It’s possible air quality factors into some long-distance moves–perhaps for people with serious lung conditions–but it’s unlikely to be a decision-maker for most Americans. Nearly all of the country is susceptible to smoke and/or smog at least some of the time. 

“Wildfire smoke doesn’t respect state lines,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “My family left Seattle for a small town in Wisconsin during the pandemic. We had many reasons for moving, but a bad smoke event was the final straw. Then the smoke followed us. This summer, Wisconsin and the entire Midwest had stretches of awful air from fires hundreds of miles away. That experience evolved the way I think about climate migration: You can choose a place with lower risk, but there’s no smoke-free bubble to move to. For most people, the answer isn’t packing up and leaving—it’s adapting to a world where bad-air days can show up almost anywhere.”