Family migration and mobility sequences in the United States

Significant changes in family composition in the past quarter-century raise important questions about life-course outcomes embedded in these family changes, especially in relation to the migratory and mobility patterns of individuals and families. The classic distinction between long-distance/employment and short-distance/housing-related moves may be eroding. Patterns of movement appear much less dichotomous and more diverse as family structures become more diverse. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics this study shows that the previous research, which suggested relatively simple links between long-distance and short-distance moves, is an over-simplification. Moreover, there is much more unintended movement at both migratory and mobility scales suggesting the economic models of employment migration may be missing important family dynamics in the migration mobility process.children, family migration, households, life course, moving intentions, residential mobility, sequences

Family migration and mobility sequences in the United States: Spatial mobility in the context of the life course

Significant changes in family composition in the past quarter-century raise important questions about life-course outcomes embedded in these family changes, especially in relation to the migratory and mobility patterns of individuals and families. The classic distinction between long-distance/employment and short-distance/housing-related moves may be eroding. Patterns of movement appear much less dichotomous and more diverse as family structures become more diverse. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics this study shows that the previous research, which suggested relatively simple links between long-distance and short-distance moves, is an over-simplification. Moreover, there is much more unintended movement at both migratory and mobility scales suggesting the economic models of employment migration may be missing important family dynamics in the migration mobility process

Demographic Variation in Housing Cost Adjustments With US Family Migration

This paper examines the demographic variation in housing cost adjustment associated with family migration in the United States. The American population continues to migrate away from very large metropolitan areas down the urban hierarchy to smaller metropolitan and micropolitan areas, according to studies based on the 2000 Census and beyond. The exodus from the largest metropolitan areas is frequently attributed to the push effects of diseconomies and congestion, increasing presence of foreign population, and housing affordability problems particularly in the large gateway cities. Yet, there is no empirical study of the housing cost adjustments associated with migration. This study aims to redress this gap by empirically addressing three questions. First, is migration associated with housing affordability adjustments? Second, when families migrate do they increase or decrease their housing costs and what are the demographic variations in these housing cost adjustments? Lastly, are there significant differences in the geographies of housing cost adjustments among migrant families? The first of these questions is addressed using the Census 2000 county-to-county migration flows merged with Census 2000 measures for median housing value and median income. The remaining questions are examined using the 2000 Public Use Micro Sample 5% National file. The results indicate evidence of significant changes in housing costs associated with migration in general, and interstate migration in particular. On average the direction of migration is to more affordable places. Families migrating from the traditional gateway cities with relatively high percentage of foreign born populations are the most likely to make enormous shifts in affordability. However, these moves do not translate neatly into the regional white flight theory. In particular, Hispanics are far more likely to decrease housing costs with migration, as are non US citizens and naturalized citizens. While primarily empirical, this research makes an important contribution to debates within the family migration literature, including conjectures of regional white flight and gendered theories of migration. Family migration towards greater housing affordability is strategic and embedded in larger issues of family work-life balance