7 Most Hated States in the U.S. by Gen Z, According to Moving and Money Data
Generation Z is not simply complaining about where it lives. Young adults are increasingly voting with packed boxes, rental applications, and one-way moving trucks. About 2.2 million Gen Z Americans crossed state lines in 2024, making them the nation’s most mobile generation for the first time.
There is no official nationwide “Gen Z hate poll,” so “hated” is used here as shorthand for rejection. This ranking combines Gen Z migration patterns, overall domestic outmigration, housing pressure, young adult financial stress, and public desirability surveys.
That approach matters because 69% of Gen Z respondents say housing availability or affordability affects their career decisions and where they can work.
Louisiana
Louisiana enters the list because affordability on paper does not always create financial comfort in real life. A young adult financial health analysis placed Louisiana among the most stressful states for residents ages 18 to 34. It recorded a stress score of 126, a median young adult income of roughly $41,200, and an estimated rent burden affecting 52% of younger residents.
That combination can feel like a trap for Gen Z workers trying to build savings. Lower housing prices lose some of their shine when salaries remain limited, and other expenses continue eating into monthly income. Louisiana also ranked 12th among the least desirable states in a 2025 survey of 1,000 American adults.
The state still offers powerful culture, food, music, and community. However, Gen Z often looks beyond personality when choosing where to start a career. A state must also offer reliable wages, manageable housing, career mobility, and a realistic path toward independence.
Hawaii
Hawaii may be paradise for tourists, but permanent life there can demand a bank account that many young adults simply do not have. Young adult financial data placed Hawaii among the states with the highest economic stress. The analysis estimated a 55% rent burden and a median income of about $52,800 for younger adults.
The contradiction surrounding Hawaii is almost perfect. Americans ranked it as the state they would most like to choose with an unlimited budget. Yet it fell to 48th when respondents were asked where they would move while struggling financially.
That gap tells the real story. Gen Z may love Hawaii’s beaches, weather, and natural beauty while rejecting the cost of actually building a life there. Admiration does not automatically translate into affordability, especially for workers still earning entry-level salaries.
New Jersey
New Jersey has location working in its favor. It sits close to New York City and Philadelphia, giving residents access to enormous job markets, major universities, entertainment, and transportation networks. Still, Gen Z migration data suggests those advantages are not enough to keep every young resident from looking elsewhere.
An analysis of 335,678 Gen Z moves recorded in 2025 found that New Jersey experienced a net loss of 297 young movers. The state also lost approximately 61,000 residents through overall domestic migration in 2024.
Financial pressure helps explain the frustration. New Jersey appeared among the most financially stressful states for young adults, with an estimated 52.5% rent burden and median young adult income near $59,800. It was also ranked 11th among America’s least desirable states in the broader 2025 survey.
For Gen Z, New Jersey can feel like paying premium prices without receiving the full New York experience. The suburbs may provide stability, but many younger adults want walkability, social energy, affordable apartments, and nearby entry-level jobs. When that equation fails, the state line becomes easier to cross.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is one of the more surprising names on this list. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both offer universities, healthcare jobs, sports, culture, and neighborhoods that remain cheaper than many major coastal cities. Nevertheless, the state recorded a net loss of 406 Gen Z movers in the 2025 migration analysis.
The result does not mean Pennsylvania is universally disliked. In fact, the broader desirability survey ranked it only 43rd on the least desirable list, meaning most Americans did not place it among their strongest dislikes. Its inclusion comes primarily from the behavior of young movers rather than a poor national reputation.
That difference is important. A state can be comfortable for established homeowners while feeling slow or limiting to a recent graduate. Gen Z often searches for concentrated job opportunities, public transportation, active social neighborhoods, and visible career growth.
Pennsylvania has those qualities in certain pockets, particularly central Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. However, much of the state is rural, suburban, or far from major employment centers. For a generation delaying homeownership and depending heavily on rentals, location inside the state can determine whether Pennsylvania feels affordable or isolating.
Illinois
Illinois recorded one of the largest Gen Z net losses in the 2025 moving analysis. About 686 more Gen Z residents left than arrived. The state also lost approximately 81,000 residents through total domestic migration during 2024.
Chicago remains a major exception to the wider picture. Its Lakeview neighborhood was identified as an attractive Gen Z destination because of walkability, cafés, nightlife, transit access, and proximity to Lake Michigan. Nearly half of that neighborhood’s population is between ages 20 and 34.
The problem is that Chicago’s appeal does not automatically extend throughout Illinois. Smaller cities and rural communities may offer cheaper housing, but they can provide fewer professional networks and less social energy. Gen Z is not merely searching for the lowest rent. It is searching for value, opportunity, and connection in the same place.
Illinois therefore faces a split-screen reality. Chicago can attract ambitious young professionals while the state still loses younger residents overall. Unless more communities create strong entry-level job markets and livable downtown areas, that divide may continue growing.
New York
New York offers almost everything Gen Z claims to want. It has culture, public transportation, nightlife, universities, creative industries, finance, media, technology, and neighborhoods where living without a car remains possible. It also has housing costs that can crush an entry-level paycheck.
The state lost 735 Gen Z movers on a net basis in the 2025 analysis. Across all generations, New York experienced a domestic migration loss of approximately 137,000 residents in 2024, the second-largest decline in the country.
New York was also ranked America’s third-least-desirable state in the 2025 public survey. Young adult financial data estimated that 53% of younger residents faced a rent burden, despite a median income of about $55,500.
Still, Gen Z has not completely abandoned New York. ZIP code 10016 in Manhattan attracted 23.5 Gen Z arrivals for every departure in the MovingPlace sample. The lesson is that Gen Z will tolerate extreme prices when career access, walkability, salaries, and social life appear valuable enough.
California
California takes the top position because almost every major warning sign appears at once. It had the largest Gen Z net migration loss in the 2025 analysis, losing 239,000 movers. California also recorded more than 263,000 net domestic departures in 2024, marking its 10th consecutive year of domestic migration losses.
The state’s reputation has suffered alongside the population losses. California ranked as America’s least desirable state in a 2025 survey, with 28% of respondents placing it among their five worst choices. Los Angeles and San Francisco also appeared among the country’s least desirable major cities.
Housing remains the central pressure point. A young adult financial map identified California as the state with the highest financial stress for residents ages 18 to 34. Meanwhile, two California ZIP codes, Lancaster’s 93536 and Murrieta’s 92563, appeared among the areas losing Gen Z residents fastest.
California still offers unmatched weather, entertainment, universities, technology companies, and natural beauty. However, Gen Z increasingly appears unwilling to treat sunshine as a substitute for financial survival. When 82% of young prospective homeowners believe buying is harder for their generation, even the California dream can begin to resemble an expensive subscription they are ready to cancel.
