Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas-Fort Worth

Corporate America's headquarters map has continued shifting decisively toward the Sun Belt in 2026, with Texas and Florida cities absorbing the bulk of high-profile relocations while traditional coastal business hubs continue losing companies to lower taxes, cheaper real estate and looser regulation. Here is a look at 10 of the cities drawing the most significant corporate headquarters activity this year, based on data from CBRE Americas Consulting and other real estate and economic development trackers.

1. Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas-Fort Worth has cemented its status as the fastest-growing headquarters market in the country, gaining 100 relocations between 2018 and 2024 alone. According to CBRE's 2026 update, the metro logged 18 headquarters announcements in 2025, including 11 interstate or international relocations from higher-cost markets such as Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with seven intrastate moves as companies consolidated operations. Public companies based in Dallas-Fort Worth now hold a combined $1.5 trillion in value, a figure that has doubled over the past five years, with Goldman Sachs among the firms expanding its local headcount to as many as 5,000 employees.

2. Austin

Austin has continued its run as one of the country's premier tech relocation destinations, earning its "Silicon Hills" nickname through a steady stream of tech startups and established firms moving in. CBRE data shows Austin has attracted 66 headquarters relocations since 2018, more than any other Texas city, drawn by wage savings of 15 to 20 percent compared with Silicon Valley, a lower cost of living, and a strong local venture capital ecosystem that Dealroom.co ranks among the nation's best for early-stage startups.

3. Houston

Houston remains a top destination for energy and industrial companies, anchored by Chevron's high-profile 2025 headquarters move from San Ramon, California, which made it the metro's second-largest public company by market value behind only Exxon Mobil. Exxon Mobil itself asked shareholders in March to approve relocating its legal domicile from New Jersey to Texas after 144 years, citing a more favorable legal and business environment, further reinforcing Houston's pull among major energy firms.

4. Miami

Miami continues to be one of the primary beneficiaries of the broader corporate migration out of the Northeast, drawing companies from New York and Connecticut in recent years, including Blockchain.com and software firm Anaplan. Florida's tax system ranks fifth overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, and CBRE noted that two international companies chose Miami in 2025 specifically for its industry concentrations, including a cosmetics firm drawn to the region's medical spa and dermatological aesthetics sector and a travel company attracted by South Florida's deep pool of leisure and travel talent.

5. Nashville

Nashville has emerged as a rising destination powered by strength across healthcare, music and technology sectors, according to relocation tracking cited by CRE Daily, which named the city among a group of Sun Belt markets, alongside Charlotte and Phoenix, benefiting from business-friendly policies, diverse talent pools and improved quality of life relative to higher-cost coastal cities.

6. Charlotte

Charlotte has continued building on its reputation as a major banking and finance hub while attracting a broader mix of corporate relocations, buoyed by North Carolina's business-friendly tax environment and the region's deep talent pipeline. The city's growth mirrors that of nearby Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, collectively known as the Research Triangle, which has separately gained traction as a destination for technology and life sciences companies drawn to the area's university-driven talent base.

7. Chicago

Despite Illinois' comparatively higher tax burden, Chicago was named the top U.S. metro for corporate relocation and site selection by Site Selection Magazine for a record 13th consecutive year in 2026, based on verified corporate facility projects. Mayor Brandon Johnson credited the city's manufacturing depth, transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce for the continued investment, with World Business Chicago recording 223 qualifying projects in 2025, a 40 percent increase from the prior year, corresponding to an estimated 19,600 new and retained jobs.

8. Atlanta

Atlanta has continued attracting corporate relocations tied to Georgia's favorable business environment and strategic incentives, highlighted by the U.S. Soccer Federation's move of its headquarters and national training center from Chicago to metro Atlanta earlier this year. Automated storage and retrieval systems company Hai Robotics also relocated its Americas headquarters from California to Norcross, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, in June, part of a broader pattern of companies choosing the region for its diverse culture and economic growth.

9. Phoenix

Phoenix has gained increasing attention as a lower-cost alternative to California's coastal markets, benefiting from Arizona's business-friendly policies and a growing talent pool. The city has been repeatedly cited alongside Charlotte, Miami and Nashville as one of the Sun Belt markets reinforcing relocation momentum in 2025 and 2026, with rising office demand tied to incoming corporate tenants supporting continued expansion of the region's headquarters footprint.

10. New York City

Despite California's steeper losses, New York City has posted a more complicated picture, recording 17 total headquarters relocation announcements in 2025, according to CBRE, though only seven represented genuinely new entrants to the market. The remaining 10 were intrastate moves by companies already based in the broader metro area, many of which cited portfolio optimization while reaffirming their long-term commitment to the region, whether by right-sizing space within Manhattan or shifting into New Jersey or north toward White Plains.

Taken together, the 2026 data underscores a broader national trend: headquarters relocation announcements rose to 164 in 2025, up sharply from 96 the year before, according to CBRE's expanded tracking of 725 public headquarters announcements since 2018. Technology and manufacturing companies remained the most active movers last year, with 39 and 33 relocations respectively, many shifting away from traditional coastal hubs such as Silicon Valley and Seattle toward lower-cost metros. Meanwhile, California continued to post the steepest net losses among U.S. states, having shed at least 275 headquarters since 2018, with the San Francisco Bay Area alone accounting for 156 of those departures amid persistently high taxes, elevated office vacancy rates and stringent regulatory conditions.

With federal tax policy, interest rate trends and continued hybrid-work adjustments all still evolving heading into the back half of 2026, real estate analysts say the broader southward and westward migration of corporate headquarters activity shows few signs of slowing, even as high-density hubs like Chicago and New York continue to demonstrate they remain competitive for companies prioritizing infrastructure, talent depth and logistical connectivity over tax savings alone.

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