Why Are Americans Moving?

A report recently released by the Census Bureau found that nearly half of Americans move for housing-related reasons (48%), however the percentage has dropped from its peak of 52.8% in 2004. The interesting thing is both job-related (19.4%) and family related (30.3%)  reasons have been on the rise over the past 15 years.

According to the report 36 million people moved between 2012 and 2013, and of those that were 1 year and over, 5% say the most important reason for moving was to be closer to work or for an easier commute, while another 8% say it was the desire for cheaper housing that led to their move. The most common reasons for moving in 2013 were “wanted new or better home/apartment,” “other housing reason” and “other family reason.”

The reasons Americans move have changed over time. In 1999, 3 percent moved to be closer to work or for an easier commute and 6 percent wanted cheaper housing while 21 percent of respondents “wanted [a] new or better home/apartment.” This reason declined to 15 percent in 2013 and was not statistically different from the “other family” reason.

“We asked people to select the reason that contributed most to their decision to move. Picking one reason can be difficult as moves are often motivated by many different, and oftentimes competing, factors,” says the report’s author, David Ihrke, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Journey to Work and Migration Statistics Branch. “For instance, if one’s primary reason for moving is to be closer to work or having an easier commute, they may have to sacrifice other preferences. This could include forgoing cheaper housing options or settling for a different neighborhood. If they mainly want cheaper housing, they may have to deal with a longer commute.”

For people who moved from one county to another, moving because of a job-related reason rose with the distance of the move: Twenty-three percent of moves less than 50 miles and 48 percent of those 500 miles or more. Moving for housing-related reasons showed change in the opposite direction, comprising 42 percent of shorter distance moves and 18 percent of longer distance ones.

Other highlights from the Census Bureau:

• Men were more likely than women to move for job-related reasons.
• Better-educated people were more likely to move for job-related reasons than those with lower levels of education.
• Married respondents were the least likely to move for family related reasons.
• Moves within the same county were typically for housing-related reasons, while inter-county moves and moves from abroad were more for job-related reasons.
• Several individual reasons, such as “change of climate,” “health reasons” and “natural disaster,” were each cited as the main reason for moving by fewer than 1 percent of householders.

**The data are analyzed by a range of demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, educational attainment, marital status, labor force status, type of move and distance moved.**