The percentage of people who changed residences between 2010 and 2011 ─ 11.6 percent ─ was the lowest recorded rate since the Current Population Survey began collecting statistics on the movement of people inthe United Statesin 1948, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. The rate, which was 20.2 percent in 1985, declined to a then-record low of 11.9 percent in 2008 before rising to 12.5 percent in 2009. The 2010 rate was not statistically different than the 2009 rate.

This information comes fromGeographical Mobility: 2011, a collection of national- and regional-level tables from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The tables shed light on movement of people withinthe United Statesfrom one location to another during the year prior to the survey. These tables were part of four migration-related data products released today, which also included:

Geographical Mobility: 2008 to 2009, a report with analysis of various geographic mobility topics. It contains national- and state-level data from the 2009 Current Population Survey and American Community Survey.

Lifetime Mobility in the United States: 2010,a 2010 American Community Survey brief on people who live in the state of their birth.

"Taken together, these products paint a vivid picture of a nation on the move and tella more complete story than anyone of them can separately," saidAlison Fields, chief of the Census Bureau's Journey-to-Work and Migration Statistics Branch. "The record low mover rate was driven by a drop in the likelihood of people moving from one location to another within the same county. The last time this rate was so low, the overall mover rate also reached a record low."

Reasons for Moving

For those who moved to a different county or state, the reasons for moving varied considerably by the length of their move. According toGeographical Mobility: 2008 to 2009, when people moved a considerable distance between 2008 and 2009 ─ 500 or more miles ─ it was most likely for employment-related reasons, which were cited by 43.9 percent of such movers, as opposed to housing-related reasons, given by 11.6 percent. Conversely, when people didn't move far ─ less than 50 miles ─ 40.0 percent did so for housing-related reasons.

Living in State of Birth

As of 2010, the majority of Americans (59 percent) lived in the state in which they were born, so saysLifetime Mobility in the United States: 2010. The state with the highest such percentage wasLouisiana(78.8 percent), followed byMichigan(76.6 percent),Ohio(75.1 percent) andPennsylvania(74.0 percent). Conversely, in four states ─Alaska,Arizona,FloridaandNevada─ and in theDistrict of Columbia, fewer than 40 percent of residents were born in that state or state-equivalent.Nevada, with less than a quarter, had the lowest percentage in the nation.

The Most Common State-to-State Moves

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, 45.3 million people lived in a different house withinthe United Statesone year earlier. Of these movers, 6.7 million lived in a different state. The most common state-to-state moves in 2010 were:

CaliforniatoTexas(68,959 movers)
New YorktoFlorida(55,011)
FloridatoGeorgia(49,901)
CaliforniatoArizona(47,164)
New JerseytoPennsylvania(42,456)
New YorktoNew Jersey(41,374)
CaliforniatoWashington(39,468)
TexastoCalifornia(36,582)
GeorgiatoFlorida(35,615)
CaliforniatoNevada(35,472)

It should be noted that flows in the top 10 may not be significantly different from each other or flows outside the top 10.

Four years earlier, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the most common move wasLouisianatoTexas(118,552 moves). Among the next largest moves wereNew YorktoFlorida(87,576) andCaliforniatoArizona(85,497). All in all, 7.9 million people moved between states during the 2005 to 2006 period.