Data

The Census Bureau has collected “Year Householder Moved Into Unit” in the decennial census since 1960. Recent movers include those who moved in the 15 months prior to the decennial census. Many analysts use this item to measure transiency and neighborhood stability.

Census data show that many households in the United States change their residences, especially those who rent. Mobility rates remained fairly consistent over time, ranging from 38 to 42 percent for renters and 9 to 12 percent for owners (see graph).

Individual states over the decades have generally shown consistent patterns. The most mobile people were usually located in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. Those least likely to have been recent movers lived in the Northeast, such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.