Is now a bad time to move?
Go for it. Fall: well below summer.
The year, best to worst
5 = best. ▶ marks this month.
Best windows
- January: Winter: the smallest share of moves.
- February: Winter: the smallest share of moves.
- March: Spring: below the summer crush.
- October: Fall: well below summer.
- November: Fall: well below summer.
- December: Winter: the smallest share of moves.
Worst windows
- June: June: the single busiest moving month.
- July: Summer: the busiest moving season.
- August: August: the second-busiest moving month.
How we know
The sale calendar. Month scores (1–5) are our judgment, based on the well-known retail patterns reported by the sources below. They're not numbers from those sources.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 'Seasonality of Moves and the Duration and Tenure of Residence: 2004' (P70-122): Summer (June–August) had 32.2% of moves in the 2004 SIPP panel vs 20.7% in winter; June had the largest share (about 12%), then August, July and May (about 10, 10 and 9%); 41% of moves were May–August.
BLS CPI: Moving, storage, freight expense (CUUR0000SEHP03, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted).
Inputs: monthly index values from 2018-09 to 2026-09; missing months skipped: October 2025 (Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations). Latest: 192.01 (September 2026), -7.08% vs. a year earlier.
Formula: change = 100 × (index[month] ÷ index[previous month] − 1), averaged by calendar month.
| Month | Avg change | Std dev | n | Fell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.47% | 0.97 | 8 | 3/8 |
| February | +1.48% | 5.09 | 8 | 4/8 |
| March | +0.35% | 1.18 | 8 | 4/8 |
| April | +1.03% | 0.91 | 8 | 1/8 |
| May | +1.56% | 2.28 | 8 | 1/8 |
| June | +1.49% | 0.41 | 8 | 0/8 |
| July | +0.67% | 1.26 | 8 | 3/8 |
| August | -0.41% | 2.02 | 8 | 5/8 |
| September | -0.57% | 1.39 | 8 | 6/8 |
| October | -0.93% | 1.72 | 7 | 4/7 |
| November | -0.61% | 0.91 | 7 | 6/7 |
| December | -2.18% | 5.50 | 8 | 5/8 |
Result: average monthly change +0.20%; the biggest average drops (or smallest rises) were in December (-2.18%), October (-0.93%), November (-0.61%). The gap between the best and worst month is 3.74 points, and the typical swing within a single month is 1.97 points. The CPI adjusts for quality and is sampled during the month, so it can miss short sale events. We show it as a cross-check; the verdict follows the sale calendar.
Last updated: page rebuilt October 26, 2026. Data status: bls: ok, last good October 26, 2026.
Shopping anyway?
FAQ
When is the best time to move?
By our ranking: January, February, March, October, November, December. See "How we know" on this page for the sources and math.
When is the worst time to move?
By our ranking: June, July, August.
Is there ever a good time to move?
No. But some times are less bad.