Hampshire has scooped a top spot as one of the most migrated to counties in the United Kingdom, alongside the likes of Devon, Norfolk, and Kent but within the county, Test Valley is in fourth place figures have revealed.

A recent study from conveyancing solicitors, Bird & Co, has uncovered the UK’s most sought-after locations, having analysed June 2021 figures from the Office of National Statistics, HM Land Registry and Rightmove.

The study found that a net number of 6,334 UK citizens moved to Hampshire in 2020-21, a marked change from the previous year, when Hampshire ranked ninth place with a net internal migration figure of just 4,708. Over the past year, there has been a staggering 35% increase in the net number of people moving to the county.

Looking into those figures a bit closer, the study showed 992 people re-located to Test Valley making the borough a worthy competitor for Winchester at 993 moves.

The age brackets of people moving to Hampshire are mixed, but mainly comprise of 20–24-year-olds. The findings suggest that young adults are flocking to areas such as Basingstoke and Deane, Eastleigh, Gosport, Hart and Rushmoor, maybe because of the transport links and proximity to Portsmouth and Southampton city centres.

On the contrary, middle-aged homeowners are moving to Havant, either to downsize or retire, whilst the eldest migrants (60-64-year-olds) are establishing themselves in the New Forest. A surprising addition to the mix is that Winchester migrants are predominantly 15-19-year-olds, which we can attribute perhaps to Winchester University being within the region.

Currently, the average house price in Hampshire is £386,613 - a figure that is a middle-ground compared to other counties in the list. In other areas of the UK, such as West Sussex, the average house price soars to £429,756. With such high demand coming into the region, house prices are bound to increase over the next few years.

Daniel Chard, at Bird & Co, said: “Our research has been based on several reputable data sources, but is just a micro-study into some of the nation’s most sought-after locations. The research demonstrates some clear trends as well as throwing up a few surprises.

“With the housing market continuing to flourish after an unstable 2020, homeowners could really benefit from doing their own research to figure out if they’re happy to continue living in their region, despite a potentially huge influx.

“Similarly, landlords and investors may want to consider targeting new regions of the UK to boost profitability.”

For more information visit https://www.birdandco.co.uk/site/blog/bird-blog/the-10-most-popular-counties-to-move-to-in-the-uk-2021