The Great Sort: How Americans Are Moving to Ideologically Aligned Communities

Overview

Americans are increasingly relocating to areas that match their political and cultural values, a phenomenon known as ideological sorting that is deepening the geographic polarization of the United States.

Two Journeys in Opposite Directions

Jessa Davis, a trans woman, moved from Odessa, Texas, to Seattle, Washington—citing safety concerns and a hostile environment for LGBTQ individuals in Texas.

Kirby Wilbur, a conservative talk show host, moved from Seattle to McKinney, Texas—seeking a more conservative community and lower cost of living.

These two stories represent a broader national trend. Americans are sorting themselves into like-minded communities at the state, county, and even neighborhood level.

Migration Services for Both Sides

The trend has spawned specialized relocation businesses:

• Conservative Move, founded by Paul Chabot, assists individuals moving from blue to red states.
• Flee Red States, founded by Bob McCranie, helps those moving from red to blue states.

The Numbers Tell the Story

According to a Stateline analysis:

Republican counties gained 3.7 million people from mid-2020 to mid-2023, while Democratic counties lost the same number.

This clustering is now more pronounced than at any point since the Civil War, with partisans increasingly concentrated within states.

What Drives the Moves?

While political alignment is rarely the primary reason, it often serves as a powerful secondary factor:

• Safety concerns
• Taxes
• School quality
• Cost of living

Bruce Desmarais, professor at Penn State University, observed that people tend to move "between left-leaning cities and between right-leaning areas."

Steven Webster, professor at Indiana University, explained that factors like housing affordability and school districts outweigh partisan motivations, with political agreement being "the cherry on top."

A Caveat: Sorting vs. Realignment

Josh Zhang, professor at Stony Brook University, offered an important clarification: party realignment—not migration—accounts for most ideological sorting. In other words, places are changing their political identities more than people are changing their addresses.

James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, noted that geographic sorting is rarely absolute. Individual exceptions exist in any area.

The Cost of Living Among the Like-Minded

Both Davis and Wilbur expressed concern about a common consequence:

Ideological sorting reduces opportunities for cross-political discourse and connection.