The lowest percentage of Americans since 1962 moved to a new home in 2008, according to new census data. Additionally, immigration from abroad was the lowest it has been in over a decade. The United States Census Bureau released its annual report that showed the annual rate at which residents moved fell to 11.9 percent. For 2007, the rate was 13.2 percent, and the highest number ever recorded was in 1984-85 when it was 20.2 percent.
The fall in mobility rates can be tied directly to the housing crisis, according to analysts. “It represents a perfect storm halting migration at all levels, since it involves deterrents in local housing-related moves and longer distance employment-related moves,” said William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, quoted in The New York Times.
As low as the percentage rate was, the actual number of people moving was less than any year since 1949-1950. According to the report, 35.2 million people over age 1 changed residences. Among regions, the South had the largest net gain of people moving into the area, while the Northeast lost more residents.
Useful Resources
