The data on which the tables in this report are based were obtained from a supplement to the Current Population Survey in May 1958. These data are part of the information obtained for a study of Residence History and Smoking Habits, sponsored jointly by the National Cancer Institute and the National Office of Vital Statistics (now part of the National Center for Health Statistics). The purpose of the survey was to obtain data on the residence history and the tobacco smoking habits of a representative sample of the United States population. It was the first attempt to obtain national data on residence histories and duration of residence.

The bulk of the tabulations were made to the specifications of these agencies and have been and are being analyzed by them or by persons with whom they have contracted. (See section below on “Related reports.") The present tables are from tabulations made for the Bureau of the Census itself in order to obtain some additional information relating to the life-time migration history of the population 18 years old and over, including the relationships among number of residences, birth place, and place of current residence. The focus here differs somewhat from that of other publications based on this supplement, which have tended to concentrate on duration of residence or exposure residences, the redistribution of population cohorts, and the medical aspects of the data.