Relocation
Moving to The Villages
Most people who buy here are moving a long way, from a handful of states, for reasons that repeat. These pages cover what actually changes, state by state, with the tax facts cited and the parts that belong with a CPA sent there.
Where do most people in The Villages move from?
According to The Villages Newcomers Guide, the developer's own publication, New York is the largest origin state at 8.1 percent of residents, followed by Pennsylvania at 4.7 percent, Ohio and Michigan at 4.0 percent each, Illinois at 3.8 percent, and New Jersey at 3.7 percent. These are developer figures rather than government data.
| State | Share of residents |
|---|---|
| New York | 8.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 4.7% |
| Ohio | 4.0% |
| Michigan | 4.0% |
| Illinois | 3.8% |
| New Jersey | 3.7% |
Those six states account for roughly 28 percent of residents between them. The guide also lists Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina in a second tier. If you are coming from somewhere not covered here, just ask me and I will put the same material together for your state.
Source: Resident-origin percentages come from The Villages Newcomers Guide, a Villages Daily Sun publication, as reproduced by ESI Money in January 2023. This is the community developer's own figure rather than government data, the published percentages do not sum to 100, and no methodology or as-of date is stated. It is the only Villages-specific origin ranking published anywhere, so it is used here with that caveat rather than presented as authoritative. Updated September 2026.
How fast is the area growing?
Sumter County, which is coterminous with the Wildwood and The Villages metro area, grew from 129,752 residents at the 2020 Census to an estimated 157,772 by July 2025, a 21.6 percent increase. The Census Bureau named it the fastest-growing metro area in the United States for 2022 to 2023.
That growth is the context for everything else on this site. It is why new villages keep appearing south of the existing ones, why bond balances are higher in the newer sections, and why 57.6 percent of Sumter County residents are 65 or over.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Sumter County FL, Vintage 2025, and Census Bureau, March 2024. Note that the Villages census-designated place is a narrower definition than the county and reported 79,077 residents in 2020; the two figures are not interchangeable. Updated September 2026.
Guides by state
From New York
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what New Yorkers tell me surprised them.
From Pennsylvania
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what Pennsylvanians tell me surprised them.
From Ohio
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what Ohioans tell me surprised them.
From Michigan
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what Michiganders tell me surprised them.
From Illinois
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what Illinois buyers tell me surprised them.
From New Jersey
Tax facts, what your money buys, flights home, and what New Jersey buyers tell me surprised them.
Free, no obligation
Coming from somewhere not listed?
Six states are covered here because they are the six largest. If you are moving from somewhere else, tell me where and I will put the same material together for your state: what changes, what your money buys, and how family gets here.
Most people I talk to are eight to eighteen months out. That is a normal time to start, and there is nothing to sign.