Probability of Moving to a Different State (Annual)
1.4%
Annual probability in US
About 1.4% of Americans move to a different state each year, a rate that has been declining for decades.
According to Census Bureau Current Population Survey data, approximately 1.4% of Americans moved to a different state in 2023, continuing a long-term declining trend in geographic mobility. This translates to roughly 4.6 million interstate moves per year, down significantly from historical rates of 3% or higher in the 1980s.
The top reasons for interstate moves include job-related factors (new job, job transfer, retirement), family reasons (marriage, divorce, to be closer to family), housing costs, and climate preferences. The states gaining the most population from domestic migration include Texas, Florida, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, while New York, California, and Illinois have experienced the largest net domestic outflows.
The decline in interstate mobility is attributed to several factors: the aging of the population (older people move less), dual-income households (harder to relocate when both partners have careers), the rise of remote work (reducing the need to move for a job), rising housing costs in destination cities, and state-specific occupational licensing barriers that make it harder for professionals to move.
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