Mobility Falls to Record Low as Americans Stay Put (Boston Globe)

October 28, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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At 11.6 percent, U.S. mobility has reached its lowest recorded point since the Census Bureau began tracking migration in 1948. In some ways, this has been a long time coming: mobility has been declining since 1951, when it peaked at 21.2 percent. Pre-recession, the number had leveled off at approximately 13 percent, but since 2008, a struggling economy and housing market have caused all generations to stay close to home. Children are living with their parents post-college and retirees are electing to stay in their homes rather than move to sunny resort communities. With the unemployment rate still hovering around 9 percent and retirees worrying about their financial futures, experts say that the mobility slump could continue for several more years.