On the move in 2001. In recent decades, Americans have been markedly less likely to relocate.
Photographer: Paul Aiken/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)
Housing
Why American Mobility Ground to a Halt
Once a nation of movers, the US has lost its “culture of mobility,” a new book argues. That’s been a disaster for housing affordability and economic progress.
Americans were once addicted to relocation: In the 19th century, one in three US residents moved every year. As late as 1970, that figure was one in five.
Today it’s down to one in 13, according to US Census Bureau data from December. Fewer members of minority groups are relocating, as modern movers are whiter and wealthier than the general population.