(News Nation) — Americans are moving at the lowest rate they've seen in years, and a new survey suggests the rate is likely to stay low for some time to come.
The immigration rate hovered around 20% from just after World War II through the 1980s, but has steadily declined since then, to just 8.4% in 2021. The latest immigration rate is 8.7% for 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
William Frey Senior demographer at the Brookings Institution Speaking to Axios A combination of factors is thought to have contributed to the decline in migration rates.
- Young people are living with their parents longer and marrying later
- Older people, especially those living in homes with paid-off mortgages, are less likely to move.
- Remote work reduces the number of people who have to change jobs
- Dual-income households find it harder for both spouses to find new jobs in new cities
- Rising house prices are discouraging home upgrades
- Residual effects of the COVID pandemic
Frey's analysis revealed a big anomaly: Local moves, defined as moves within the same county, fell below 5% during the 2021-2022 study period, down from about 9% in 2010. But long-distance moves increased slightly to about 1.5% after four years of steady declines.
