A recent study has identified the least favored city in the United States, as a new analysis indicates that Americans are attempting to leave this city more than any other in the nation.
While cities like San Francisco and New York remain highly desirable places to live, some US cities are seeing residents eager to move away.
This leads us to the least popular city in America, as determined by the research conducted by moveBuddha, a platform specializing in moving analysis.
Between January 2024 and October 2025, the team pinpointed the primary exit city in each US state, ultimately revealing the least popular city nationwide.
Their research indicates that for every 80 individuals considering moving to this city, 100 were exploring options to leave.
The analysts at moveBuddha stated: “Today, Waukee is the state’s top move-to suburb, pulling in more new building permits than West Des Moines.
“And at [an average home value of] $319K, West Des Moines is pricey by Des Moines standards, so new Iowans aren’t seeing an affordability edge in the mature suburb, where the average home dates from 1993 (in Ankeny, homes average 16 years younger).”
These findings might be unexpected for residents, given that West Des Moines was recognized as one of the best places to live in the US by Money magazine as recently as 2016.
This raises the question: Why has West Des Moines lost its appeal?
According to the moveBuddha website: “This default destination has fallen victim to nearby competitors — Waukee, Ankeny, Grimes, Johnston, and Urbandale all offer newer construction.
“Today, Waukee is the state’s top move-to suburb, pulling in more new building permits than West Des Moines.”
The moving site suggests that the average house price of $319,000 is a significant factor prompting people to leave.
In a 2025 analysis of city-to-city migration by U.S. News and World Report, the third most common migration path was from West Des Moines to Phoenix, Arizona. Analysts inferred that some individuals might be “seeking warmer year-round weather, perhaps for retirement.”
They also compiled a list of the 25 least popular cities in each US state, with the top 10 including:
The City of Des Moines has been contacted for comment.