Americans Are Not Much on the Move Any More

Yesterday the Census Bureau released migration data for the US derived from the last two rounds of the Current Population Survey, as well as the American Community Survey. These are data for internal migration within the United States and they show a drop-off in the extent to which Americans are moving. Elizabeth Aguilera of the San Diego Union-Tribune picks up the story:

Native Californians made up more than half of the state’s population last year — the first time that has happened in more than a century, the Census Bureau said Tuesday. It resulted from the nation’s lowest migration rate in decades and more Californians continuing to move to nearby states.
Nationally, the number of Americans who moved between last year and this year — whether it was down the street or from coast to coast — plummeted to 11.6 percent. That was unmatched since the Census Bureau began tracking mobility in 1948.
Experts point to the sluggish economy as the main culprit.
“In a typical situation, you might have a local recession and people leave and go where they think it’s going to be better,” said John Weeks, a demographer at San Diego State University. “Right now, there is nowhere to go where you can assume it’s going to be better than where you are.”

I couldn't have said that better myself...