The U.S. Census Bureau reports on the mobility of our nation’s citizens in 2006
On Tuesday, October 16, the U.S. Census Bureau released its annual Geographical Mobility tables, which document the migration of the country’s citizens in 2006. The Census tables are issued at the national and regional levels, and this year’s polling reveals that nearly 40 million Americans moved between 2005 and 2006.
The mobility tables are formulated to identify trends in the nation’s moving patterns. Movers are classified according to the following categories: age, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, educational attainment, labor force status, occupation and industry group, and income and poverty status.
Overall, the moving rate of U.S. citizens in 2006 remained unchanged from the previous year; it still stands at 14 percent. The West had the highest moving rate at 16 percent, followed by the South, the Midwest, and the Northeast (which topped out at 10 percent). It appears that renters were four times more likely to move than homeowners this past year, with 30 percent of all Americans living in renter-occupied housing changing locations between 2005 and 2006. Unemployed persons had the highest moving rate (at 24 percent) compared with citizens who were employed in 2006 or those unaffiliated with the labor force. 62 percent of the citizens who moved last year remained within the same county.
In terms of more career-related statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau offers detailed charts of moving rates among employed citizens, broken down by either their occupation or their industry group. For example, approximately 16 percent of those work in professional and business services moved in 2006. The moving rate for education and health services professionals stands at 12 percent. Those who worked in the leisure and hospitality industries between 2005 and 2006 had a 19 percent moving rate.
If you want to examine the tables more closely, or check the data listed for specific occupations, income levels, and age brackets, be sure to visit the home page for the 2006 Geographical Mobility tables and browse the numbers for yourself.