Americans keep on moving. Roughly 40 million U.S. residents moved in 2006-2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (h/t: Kevin Stolarick). Of these, more than 12 million moved to a new county or a new state. Young people in their twenties were the most likely to move – roughly a quarter of all Americans in their twenties moved during this period. And jobs are not the most common reason people move. Finding a better house or neighborhood and family reasons are the most common reasons; employment is third. Renters are far more mobile than homeowners.
Get this: almost one-third (29 percent) of renters moved in 2006-2008, compared to less than 10 percent of those who lived in owner-occupied homes. And this was before the mortgage crisis hit. Single family homes were part of the industrial economy’s “spatial fix.” Many workers had long-term secure employment and the suburban model fueled fordist consumption. But single family homes suck up resources and energy and act against the the mobility and flexibility demanded by the creative economy. What might replace them as the new spatial fix for the creative age?
September 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Check the numbers again — job related reasons lead by a substantial margin.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Bennett – Help me out here. I read the document very closely, and the report clearly puts job related moves third.