Internal Migration

<< Back Home                                      Created : Sep 4, 2006
                                              *** Last Updated : Jan 4, 2011
Internal Migration is the movement of people from one city or state to another city or state within the US. Census Bureau publishes the annual data for internal migration. Clearly Americans are leaving high housing cost metros of California, Boston, New York and Chicago in favour of the more affordable metros of Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Orlando and Las Vegas in the Sun Belt. As can be seen from the table below.
Internal Migration
Metropolitan Area 2000
Population		 2009
Population		 Population
Change		 Internal
Migration		 International
Migration		 Births Deaths
Northern California 6,804,430 7,116,481 312,051 -623,420 473,998 892,840 421,980
Southern California 19,257,881 20,874,686 1,616,805 -1,060,626 1,057,040 2,926,469 1,173,834
Atlanta 4,121,806 5,284,577 1,162,771 403,052 214,015 701,857 249,627
Boston 4,402,611 4,588,680 186,069 -235,915 197,462 515,962 326,004
Chicago 8,945,998 9,378,261 432,263 -580,225 374,935 1,277,517 625,888
Dallas 4,903,181 6,082,002 1,178,821 261,864 330,267 879,927 284,463
Denver 2,145,101 2,497,836 352,735 63,020 97,690 340,478 128,556
Detroit 4,204,435 4,145,901 -58,534 -363,568 95,684 510,618 339,344
Houston 4,563,653 5,671,599 1,107,946 232,986 296,762 812,291 268,964
Las Vegas 1,393,370 1,902,834 509,464 311,463 88,439 246,666 111,822
Miami 5,025,806 5,547,051 521,245 -287,135 522,009 649,535 438,106
Minneapolis 2,651,983 2,846,576 194,593 -81,736 86,291 369,372 154,931
New York 18,038,965 18,728,115 689,150 -1,978,169 1,112,481 2,339,849 1,283,557
Orlando 1,656,835 2,082,421 425,586 225,259 98,233 248,070 129,308
Philadelphia 5,606,811 5,867,456 260,645 -126,214 126,546 690,067 486,789
Phoenix 3,097,378 4,023,132 925,754 416,466 215,566 564,289 226,288
Providence 1,586,744 1,600,642 13,898 -49,168 36,178 176,664 136,548
Salt Lake City 1,717,573 2,121,865 404,292 2,649 57,079 370,628 90,385
San Antonio 1,566,444 1,887,405 320,961 152,702 32,190 262,467 110,824
Seattle 3,052,379 3,407,848 355,469 40,741 131,366 392,652 195,862
Tampa 2,404,273 2,747,272 342,999 260,333 76,592 292,213 264,578
Washington 4,297,353 4,827,599 530,246 -196,160 317,673 646,012 244,458
From the Census Bureau. The number of people moving out of North East increased from 52K in 2000, to 335K in 2007. A six fold increase. The number of people moving out of California increased from 20K in 2000, to 263K in 2007. A thirteen fold increase. And from the Midwest, that number increased from 32K in 2000, to 223K in 2007. A number seven times. Looks like Americans are moving heavily into the South and the Mountain Division, as the table below shows. While Northeast, Midwest and California are facing net out migration. Affordable Housing costs in the South and the Mountain Division appear to be the driving force behind this demographic shift. The warmer climate of the destinations may also be palying a role in it.
Annual Internal Migration
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
NORTHEAST -51,498 -225,068 -228,780 -257,149 -329,647 -396,922 -375,724 -312,522 -216,854 -145,418
New England 857 -1,976 -11,732 -27,915 -65,642 -78,584 -62,787 -60,232 -28,150 -16,896
Middle Atlantic -52,355 -223,092 -217,048 -229,234 -264,005 -318,338 -312,937 -252,290 -188,704 -128,522
MIDWEST -32,746 -170,442 -192,363 -172,883 -174,995 -214,626 -183,472 -192,309 -223,736 -194,619
East North Central -27,423 -136,533 -157,978 -146,644 -153,451 -186,453 -184,952 -185,370 -210,849 -184,343
West North Central -5,323 -33,909 -34,385 -26,239 -21,544 -28,173 1,480 -6,939 -12,887 -10,276
SOUTH 70,356 281,876 362,928 388,677 471,697 578,273 507,831 512,676 381,085 318,733
South Atlantic 65,070 291,486 334,021 329,353 401,612 450,583 432,998 253,240 169,086 104,632
East South Central 3,692 -6,867 615 36,649 41,587 74,321 82,440 78,327 53,100 32,388'
West South Central 1,594 -2,743 28,292 22,675 28,498 53,369 -7,607 181,109 158,899 181,713
WEST 13,888 113,634 58,215 41,355 32,945 33,275 51,365 -7,845 59,505 21,304
Mountain 38,568 138,215 139,501 108,573 177,027 235,645 285,234 213,832 145,754 70,047
Pacific -24,680 -24,581 -81,286 -67,218 -144,082 -202,370 -233,869 -221,677 -86,249 -48,743
Internal Migration of The Last Decade : Population Migration Patterns And The Bubble
All States Annual Internal Migration
State 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Alabama -1,489 -8,828 -8,583 4,782 5,023 16,256 33,752 16,826 16,927 11,044
Alaska -1,672 -2,904 1,904 2,530 615 -891 -2,159 -3,745 -3,689 979
Arizona 17,561 56,938 70,105 62,986 90,588 132,164 133,670 79,763 55,468 15,111
Arkansas 1,282 -304 366 5,139 10,876 15,384 23,168 8,199 7,037 5,298
California -19,603 -45,687 -119,535 -96,581 -159,777 -248,576 -313,081 -265,169 -142,901 -98,798
Colorado 10,087 45,283 14,636 -7,588 -3,249 8,538 36,888 34,148 38,488 35,591
Connecticut -1,952 -6,926 -2,802 -16 -14,352 -17,446 -15,075 -20,678 -9,257 -7,824
Delaware 1,100 2,838 4,198 5,798 6,078 7,815 6,620 4,993 4,504 2,580
District of Columbia -1,792 -4,285 -7,543 -10,286 -7,023 -6,746 -3,369 -3,377 -1,639 4,454
Florida 28,761 157,736 185,584 171,133 265,420 265,932 141,448 16,707 -18,568 -31,179
Georgia 16,766 55,423 43,349 36,379 51,507 62,131 127,246 93,094 54,636 26,604
Hawaii -4,086 -6,523 -737 4,967 -1,958 1,069 -4,729 -12,428 -3,385 -5,298
Idaho 2,062 7,437 6,863 9,030 13,113 20,163 22,971 18,126 11,021 1,555
Illinois -18,250 -69,730 -78,810 -78,636 -72,526 -84,933 -74,809 -53,878 -53,045 -48,249
Indiana -267 -6,481 -12,972 -2,355 -4,747 2,961 8,882 1,194 -1,144 -6,805
Iowa -2,616 -13,262 -13,229 -8,540 -3,901 -5,543 48 -1,872 -1,155 -2,135
Kansas -2,200 -13,810 -9,533 -9,766 -12,020 -10,954 -6,367 -3,165 -905 -1,242
Kentucky 806 -388 4,730 12,279 8,871 15,531 12,472 12,666 9,282 6,268
Louisiana -7,443 -33,909 -18,965 -10,659 -9,956 -14,404 -282,254 29,970 14,162 14,647
Maine 1,465 6,267 8,667 9,161 3,607 2,713 1,543 -172 411 -2,937
Maryland -197 8,897 12,911 7,410 -11,153 -12,653 -27,377 -33,191 -29,456 -11,163
Massachusetts -2,046 -14,677 -30,511 -44,632 -54,695 -55,077 -42,445 -26,575 -9,724 3,614
Michigan -3,279 -23,844 -34,907 -33,078 -40,087 -57,347 -70,056 -87,176 -103,637 -87,339
Minnesota 2,673 7,478 -5,068 -9,439 -7,677 -12,579 -1,790 -3,341 -5,406 -8,813
Mississippi -484 -9,324 -7,149 -1,221 3,768 590 -19,588 3,968 -1,576 -5,529
Missouri 763 2,420 3,784 5,277 4,433 7,761 14,264 6,383 -2,920 -124
Montana 85 -397 1,389 4,545 6,071 5,712 7,360 6,620 6,143 2,410
Nebraska -1,869 -8,360 -4,906 -2,749 -5,157 -3,524 -4,978 -5,538 -3,107 -956
Nevada 13,250 47,928 44,120 43,321 67,020 52,464 54,069 40,769 15,622 -3,801
New Hampshire 2,499 10,517 8,378 5,484 5,429 2,720 3,848 -340 -846 -2,602
New Jersey -8,396 -32,125 -30,918 -42,316 -51,304 -67,216 -76,853 -67,751 -51,234 -31,690
New Mexico -3,168 -9,389 4,552 4,335 4,938 6,958 7,822 5,940 -2,139 3,366
New York -36,939 -166,711 -179,642 -187,893 -209,348 -247,727 -244,289 -184,808 -131,048 -98,178
North Carolina 11,124 47,275 44,281 47,735 44,574 73,070 123,558 120,063 104,228 59,108
North Dakota -1,714 -6,791 -4,061 -1,417 939 -3,396 -1,903 -2,031 -786 1,375
Ohio -7,165 -37,743 -37,629 -33,302 -37,859 -45,059 -44,306 -42,371 -46,491 -36,278
Oklahoma -2,821 -9,047 1,197 -1,499 -4,257 -821 18,863 12,974 6,529 18,345
Oregon 1,172 13,678 23,375 11,554 2,347 22,777 35,599 28,389 23,483 16,173
Pennsylvania -7,020 -24,256 -6,488 975 -3,353 -3,395 8,205 269 -6,422 1,346
Rhode Island 510 2,177 3,061 1,548 -5,682 -10,940 -10,502 -11,151 -7,498 -6,172
South Carolina 4,527 14,117 18,936 25,873 28,986 30,206 53,843 52,884 49,720 31,480
South Dakota -360 -1,584 -1,372 395 1,839 62 2,206 2,625 1,392 1,619
Tennessee 4,859 11,673 11,617 20,809 23,925 41,944 55,804 44,867 28,467 20,605
Texas 10,576 40,517 45,694 29,694 31,835 53,210 232,616 129,966 131,171 143,423
Utah -808 -6,414 -4,304 -8,194 -2,491 9,331 19,202 21,788 15,849 8,623
Vermont 381 666 1,475 540 51 -554 -156 -1,316 -1,236 -975
Virginia 6,490 16,469 30,295 40,908 20,785 28,559 7,521 -584 2,739 18,238
Washington -491 16,855 13,707 10,312 14,691 23,251 50,501 31,276 40,243 38,201
West Virginia -1,709 -6,984 2,010 4,403 2,438 2,269 3,508 2,651 2,922 4,510
Wisconsin 1,538 1,265 6,340 727 1,768 -2,075 -4,663 -3,139 -6,532 -5,672
Wyoming -501 -3,171 2,140 138 1,037 315 3,252 6,678 5,302 7,192 



______________________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2005 by Author. This material may be distributed only subject
to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License.