With a tense political climate, tariffs, safety concerns, and border arrests, it’s not surprising that Canadians are less interested in visiting or living in the U.S. than they used to be.
Data from Redfin published Monday shows that the number of Canadians searching for U.S. homes dropped nearly 20% compared to last year. The decline began in February when the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on Canadian imports. The tariffs were paused for a month but went into effect in March.
“One Canadian client is in the process of selling his last U.S. property because he no longer sees it as a good place to invest or vacation,” Cheryl Van Elsis, a Redfin Premier agent in Las Vegas, said in a statement. “He used to own four homes in the Las Vegas area, which he mainly rented to fellow Canadians here for casinos or poker events. But now, he no longer wants ties to the U.S.”
The analysis is based on the number of unique Canadian Redfin.com users searching for homes to buy or rent in the U.S., which dropped 19.5% year-over-year in August. The biggest decline happened in April—a 34.2% year-over-year drop—when the Trump administration announced its global tariff policy. Overall searches by all users on Redfin.com also declined, but only slightly compared to the drop from Canada.
Some Canadians have been avoiding the U.S. entirely. Michael Mortensen, a 58-year-old Vancouver-based development consultant and urban planner, told NBC News he refused to spend money in the U.S. while President Donald Trump “levies idiotic tariffs and rains chaos.” He had planned a Hawaiian vacation with his family, budgeting about $10,000, but began looking for other destinations to avoid the U.S. completely. Canadians were also unhappy when President Trump suggested Canada could become the 51st U.S. state.
“We have to stand up for Canada, you know,” another Canadian citizen told CBS News. “They’re poking us in the eye, so we got to poke them back.” A March survey of over 1,500 Canadians by Leger found that two-thirds had reduced their purchases of American products.
In the past, Canadians liked visiting or moving to Florida, New York City, California, Arizona, and Nevada, according to Allianz. These areas have nice weather and many tourist attractions. But these same cities are seeing some of the biggest drops in Canadian searches. Las Vegas, in particular, has seen a large decline in Canadian visitors, and the city’s mayor recently asked Canadians to return.
“As the mayor of Las Vegas, I’m telling everybody in Canada, please come. We love you, we need you, and we miss you,” Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley said during a press conference last week.
West Palm Beach, Fla., had the biggest drop with a 26.6% decline in August, followed by Tampa (-23.1%) and Orlando (-23%). Anaheim, Calif., saw a 26% decline, and Los Angeles searches dropped 25.5%.
Other cities with more than a 20% decline in Canadian search traffic include Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; San Diego; Washington, D.C.; Boston; and New York City, according to Redfin.
