More Americans on the move: why that's a good thing
Americans are moving again, following a recession-induced plunge in mobility. But the mobility rate is still at historic lows as housing costs and few job opportunities keep many Americans hunkered down.
Some 37.1 million Americans, or 12.5 percent of the population, moved in 2009, according to the Census Bureau. That鈥檚 up 鈥� barely 鈥� from 11.9 percent the previous year, the lowest the US mobility rate has been since the Bureau began tracking it in 1948.
A normal rate during good economic times, such as in the 1990s, is between 15 and 17 percent.
鈥淲hat the [recession] has done is frozen people in place,鈥� says Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the Carsey Institute and a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen changes of this magnitude in so short a period: It鈥檚 stunning for demographers.鈥�
But the fact that the mobility rate is still very low is bad news for the economy, says Richard Florida, professor of US urban theory at the University of Toronto.
鈥淢obility is the cornerstone of the American economic backbone,鈥� says Professor Florida, author of the new book 鈥淭he Great Reset.鈥� 鈥淥ur economy has been premised on flexibility and mobility. Our workforce has always better able to move to where jobs and opportunities are.鈥�
This dip in mobility, he says, makes it harder for the economy to recover.
Even the slight uptick the census recorded offered grim news. Of those who moved in 2009, 67.3 percent changed addresses within the same county. Renters were also five times more likely to move than homeowners.
This suggests that most moves were because of foreclosures and renters changing leases, not job growth.
Long-distance moves remained flat. Only 12.6 percent of all movers relocated to a different state 鈥� evidence that college grads and professionals were staying put rather than moving in search of new opportunities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not good news,鈥� says William Frey, chief demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington. 鈥淚t only ticked up for local moves, not long-distance moves. I think the latter is a more significant story than the former 鈥� more college-educated people, more young people trying to move up in their careers. They are the lifeblood of migration and growth.鈥�
Another concerning although consistent trend: People with incomes below the poverty line were more likely to move locally 鈥� and less likely to make long-distance moves 鈥� than others.
鈥淭he lack of mobility is hitting hardest among the least advantaged,鈥� Florida says. 鈥淭his recession has been terribly hard on blue-collar men, people without college degrees. For them, it鈥檚 been a double whammy: Their jobs have disappeared, their equity has disappeared, and they鈥檙e more likely to be stuck.鈥�
But Americans鈥� recent immobility may include a silver lining. Moving tends to take a toll on people. Staying put, by contrast, reaps social benefits like stronger family and community connections. Communities with lower levels of mobility tend to enjoy higher levels of trust and well-being, Mr. Frey says.
鈥淧eople have their kids around them longer. There鈥檚 a stronger sense of community, but you鈥檇 like to think that would happen more for voluntary reasons,鈥� he says.
Still, relatively speaking, Americans are highly mobile, says Florida.
鈥淎mericans still are among the most mobile people on earth,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 long been shown that the ability of the American economy to be innovative, productive, prosperous has lots to do with labor mobility.鈥�
The US may not restore that mobility for a long time, says Professor Johnson of the University of New Hampshire.
鈥淭his has probably been a sobering experience for a lot of people,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檒l see a return to the exuberant levels of mobility we saw earlier.鈥�
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