Where Central Texas Newcomers Are Coming From (2026)
Redfin home-search data shows who's looking at Austin and New Braunfels/San Antonio, and where Austin-area house hunters are looking next.
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Austin is the #1 source of people searching for homes in the New Braunfels/San Antonio metro, and San Antonio is the #1 place Austin-area searchers are looking next.
In Redfin's April–June 2026 data, 818 Redfin users in the Austin metro searched for homes in the San Antonio metro, more than any other pair on either list. Among outside searchers, Dallas leads for Austin (459) and Los Angeles leads for New Braunfels/San Antonio (626).
This is search interest, not proof of actual moves. It counts Redfin users who are looking at homes somewhere other than where they live.
The search data on where Central Texas newcomers are coming from points one way: south down I-35. More Austin-area house hunters are looking at San Antonio-area homes than anywhere else, and Austin is the top place New Braunfels/San Antonio searchers come from. It's a sign many newcomers are shopping for more house for their money, not a count of moving trucks.
The numbers come from the Migration tab on Redfin city pages and cover April through June 2026. Redfin builds them from its own users' home searches: a person in one metro who searches for homes in another counts toward that metro's inflow. It doesn't track signed leases, closings or change-of-address forms, so treat it as a read on where people are looking.
Redfin shows the same Austin metro figures on its Round Rock and Bastrop pages, and the New Braunfels page uses San Antonio metro figures. Below we compare the two metros to show where Central Texas newcomers are coming from, then point newcomers from each major origin toward Central Texas towns worth a look.
Where Central Texas Newcomers Are Coming From: Austin vs. New Braunfels
Top 10 metros whose Redfin users searched for homes in each area, April–June 2026.
Austin metro
| # | Searching from | Searchers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 459 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 298 |
| 3 | San Francisco | 286 |
| 4 | Seattle | 278 |
| 5 | Houston | 270 |
| 6 | New York | 134 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | 100 |
| 8 | Phoenix | 87 |
| 9 | San Diego | 53 |
| 10 | Chicago | 53 |
New Braunfels/San Antonio metro
| # | Searching from | Searchers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 818 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 626 |
| 3 | Seattle | 348 |
| 4 | Houston | 290 |
| 5 | Dallas | 288 |
| 6 | Chicago | 221 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | 199 |
| 8 | New York | 153 |
| 9 | San Francisco | 97 |
| 10 | San Diego | 95 |
Where each metro's searchers look next
Top metros where local Redfin users searched for homes elsewhere, April–June 2026. Redfin lists four for New Braunfels/San Antonio.
From the Austin metro
| # | Looking at | Searchers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio | 818 |
| 2 | Corpus Christi | 212 |
| 3 | Killeen | 155 |
| 4 | McAllen | 83 |
| 5 | Waco | 55 |
From New Braunfels/San Antonio
| # | Looking at | Searchers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corpus Christi | 84 |
| 2 | Kerrville | 16 |
| 3 | Knoxville | 15 |
| 4 | Tulsa | 15 |
| 5 | — | — |
Source: Redfin city pages, Migration tab, April–June 2026. Counts are Redfin users' home searches, not completed moves.
What stands out: Los Angeles and Seattle show up near the top for both metros, but more of their searchers looked at New Braunfels/San Antonio (626 and 348) than at Austin (298 and 278). San Francisco runs the other way, with 286 searchers looking at Austin and 97 at New Braunfels/San Antonio. Dallas and Houston rank high on both lists, which rounds out the picture of where Central Texas newcomers are coming from.
If you're coming from California
Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego all make both top-10 lists. Los Angeles is the #2 source for both metros. If you're coming from California, one of the biggest groups of where Central Texas newcomers are coming from, look at these towns:
I-35 · Comal County
New Braunfels
Between Austin and San Antonio, with the Comal and Guadalupe rivers in town.
If you're coming from Seattle
Seattle is the #3 source of New Braunfels/San Antonio searchers (348) and #4 for Austin (278). If you're coming from Seattle and the rest of the Pacific Northwest, look at these towns:
If you're coming from Dallas or Houston
Dallas is the #1 outside source of Austin searchers (459) and #5 for New Braunfels/San Antonio (288). Houston is close behind on both lists (270 and 290). If you're coming from Dallas or Houston, look at these towns:
If you're coming from the Northeast (New York and Washington, DC)
New York and Washington, DC make both top-10 lists. Washington, DC sends about twice as many searchers to New Braunfels/San Antonio (199) as to Austin (100). If you're coming from the Northeast, another piece of where Central Texas newcomers are coming from, look at these towns:
If you're coming from Chicago
Chicago is the #6 source of New Braunfels/San Antonio searchers (221), about four times its count for Austin (53). If you're coming from Chicago, look at these towns:
Compare towns before you move
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Where are most people moving to Austin from?
In Redfin's April–June 2026 data, Dallas had the most Redfin users searching for homes in the Austin metro (459), followed by Los Angeles (298), San Francisco (286), Seattle (278) and Houston (270). These are home searches, not confirmed moves.
Where are people searching for homes in New Braunfels and San Antonio coming from?
Austin leads with 818 searchers, followed by Los Angeles (626), Seattle (348), Houston (290) and Dallas (288), per Redfin's April–June 2026 data.
Where are Austin-area house hunters looking next?
San Antonio, by a wide margin: 818 Austin-metro Redfin users searched there. Corpus Christi (212), Killeen (155), McAllen (83) and Waco (55) follow.
Does Redfin migration data show actual moves?
No. Redfin's migration figures are based on its users' home searches in another metro. They show where people are looking, not where they actually moved.
Which Central Texas towns should California transplants look at?
Los Angeles is the #2 source of searchers for both metros. Towns worth comparing include New Braunfels, Boerne, Dripping Springs and Canyon Lake. Our community guides cover each one.
Want to know what more house for your money looks like down I-35? Start with the town guides above.
Coming from California? Read our full guide: Moving from California to the Texas Hill Country