Why are people moving at alarming rates?
Migration can happen for many reasons. Poverty, new job opportunites, bad envrioment, etc. Across the decades of the US, the country has seen various immigrants move from South to North and back from North to South for various reasons. I will focus on three different time periods, 1910, 1970 and 2024 and explain what the United States history, cultural and economic events were occurring during that time. I will explain why people move to begin with. I will break it down further, with heavy focus on present day and data backing up the reason that causes someone to move, by discussing four categories: home, family, employment, and other. I will continue with data explaining who people are living with and how expensive hosues are in the present day. I will conclude with a JSON data that explains the top populated ciites across three different decades to tie it into the story of why people move.
The Great Migration map
1910s
To start, the 1910s was the beginning years that African Americans moved out of the South. This time period from the 1910-1970s, is known as the Great Migration. Around this time, world war 1 was just beginning. About six million African Americans moved from the south to the north by the end of the 1970s. The leading cause for this, racial discrimination. After slavery was abolished, there was Jim crow and segregation in the south which made life for an African Americans quite hard. But the struggles for people of color does not stop there. Asians were also discrimianted against and for the longest time, until 1974, they were limited from working or entering the united states. Native Americans were displaced from their homes in the south and put into reservations or were killed in a mass genocide. While people are moving out of the south for better jobs and a new life, the north was gaining more people. Between 1900 and 1915, more than 15 million immigrants arrived in the United States and most of them moved to the North. With improvements in technology, winning world war 2, and looking for a better life, people slowly stopped moving out of the south. And in the 21st century we see a reversal, things like the 2008 recession and the increase of cost for everything from college education, to food to hosuing and now crime, people start moving out of the north and back into the south in hopes for a better life.
Recent Reasons For Moving
What are the main reasons why people are moving out today? According to Consumer Affairs, housing is the major reason why people re moving out of their homes and into different ones today. around 2021-22 was covid times, which ironically did not see a decline in housing rates. People were moving because being stuck at home will make you want to move closer to family. This family forward thinking, and people wishing for bigger homes with bigger yeards and more square footage for the price, was the major reason why people moved. Also being at home during covid will force you to reflect on things you didnt pay attention to prior such as how close your house is from your job and whetehr or not your kids school is in the best neighborhood. While covid wasn't the best thing to happen in the present day, what came out of it was people's eagerness to live better and relax more and be near with family. The other reason, emploeyment, with the rise from work from home jobs and close proximity, less people want to live far from thier jobs. And the final reason, other, can include things such as wanting to live in a walkable city, wanting to start fresh, etc. There are so many reasons why people move, but it seems this present times are vastly different from life in the 70s and 1910s. And while racial discrimination is still a thing for minorities, it is the least of their worries for when it comes to moving. The cost of living is the major reason that the reason for moving is because of a house. Rent is not chesp like it used to be.
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1970s
Around this time, African Americans were slowy starting to enjoy new freedoms thanks to the Civil Rights Act. Women were seeking jobs as nurses or receptionists. Men who got out of the military after world war 2 were going to college and seeking an education. Things are slowly starting to look good for those who moved out of the south and into the north. However with the US trying to embark on imperialism and wars such as the Vietnam war is occuring, and the rise in federal aid prgrams like Food Stamps, the cost of products and cost of living increases, and never goes back done. Hence a new movement, the present day migration, begins. Except, it is not due to racism but due to everything being too expenisve and inflation and tariffs. Additionaly, the gulf wars will eventually cause more national debt and the price of goods to increase.
How House Prices Are Increasing
According to the data table, people are flocking to the southern states in high numbers in the 21st century. I wanted to look into reason for why that was and it turns out that the increase of housing in north and western states were rent. For Washington D.C, Los Angeles and Boston, the cost of a house increased dramtically, often times upwards of $50,000 a year. This data was collected every Jan 1st ranging from 2013 to 2025. So the recent data is protraying just how expenisve living in northern states are. Yes everybody wants to live in city areas because of walking distance and job opportunities. But the reality is, the cost of living in city areas is just too high, and that is in the last 12 years. Imagine how cheap it was to buy a house in the 1910s or 1970s compared to now.
Relationships and Housing
Summary
So we know that a lot of people moved out the south as a big movement during the 1910s-1970s due to racial discrimination and hardships. But now that it is the 21st century, things have changed and people are moving back to the south. Here are a couple of fun facts about moving in the present day. Texas, FLorida and North Carolina re ranked the top three states that people are migrating to. 53% of moves occur within the same county and it costs an average of $560-5,500 just to move.
migration
| Rank | Year | City | Population | Rate |
|---|
JSON Data Table
| Rank | Year | City | Population | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1910 | New York, NY | 4,766,883 | 3.30% |
| 2 | 1910 | Chicago, IL | 2,185,283 | 2.60% |
| 3 | 1910 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,549,008 | 1.80% |
| 4 | 1910 | St. Louis, MO | 687,029 | 1.80% |
| 5 | 1910 | Boston, MA | 670,585 | 1.80% |
| 6 | 1910 | Cleveland, OH | 560,663 | 3.90% |
| 7 | 1910 | Baltimore, MD | 558,485 | 0.90% |
| 8 | 1910 | Pittsburgh, PA | 533,905 | 5.20% |
| 9 | 1910 | Detroit, MI | 465,766 | 5.00% |
| 10 | 1910 | Buffalo, NY | 423,715 | 1.90% |
| 11 | 1910 | San Francisco, CA | 416,912 | 2.00% |
| 12 | 1910 | Milwaukee, WI | 373,857 | 2.70% |
| 13 | 1910 | Cincinnati, OH | 363,591 | 1.10% |
| 14 | 1910 | Newark, NJ | 347,469 | 3.50% |
| 15 | 1910 | New Orleans, LA | 339,075 | 1.70% |
| 16 | 1910 | Washington, DC | 331,069 | 1.70% |
| 17 | 1910 | Los Angeles, CA | 319,198 | 12.00% |
| 18 | 1910 | Minneapolis, MN | 301,408 | 4.00% |
| 19 | 1910 | Jersey City, NJ | 267,779 | 2.60% |
| 20 | 1910 | Kansas City, MO | 248,381 | 4.30% |
| 21 | 1910 | Seattle, WA | 237,194 | 11.40% |
| 22 | 1910 | Indianapolis, IN | 233,650 | 3.30% |
| 23 | 1910 | Providence, RI | 224,326 | 2.50% |
| 24 | 1910 | Louisville, KY | 223,928 | 0.90% |
| 25 | 1910 | Rochester, NY | 218,149 | 3.00% |
| 26 | 1910 | St. Paul, MN | 214,744 | 2.80% |
| 27 | 1910 | Denver, CO | 213,381 | 4.80% |
| 28 | 1910 | Portland, OR | 207,214 | 8.60% |
| 29 | 1910 | Columbus, OH | 181,511 | 3.80% |
| 30 | 1910 | Toledo, OH | 168,497 | 2.50% |
| 31 | 1910 | Atlanta, GA | 154,839 | 5.60% |
| 32 | 1910 | Oakland, CA | 150,174 | 8.40% |
| 33 | 1910 | Worcester, MA | 145,986 | 2.10% |
| 34 | 1910 | Syracuse, NY | 137,249 | 2.40% |
| 35 | 1970 | New York, NY | 7,894,862 | 0.10% |
| 36 | 1970 | Chicago, IL | 3,366,957 | -0.50% |
| 37 | 1970 | Los Angeles, CA | 2,816,061 | 1.30% |
| 38 | 1970 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,948,609 | -0.30% |
| 39 | 1970 | Detroit, MI | 1,511,482 | -1.00% |
| 40 | 1970 | Houston, TX | 1,232,802 | 2.80% |
| 41 | 1970 | Baltimore, MD | 905,759 | -0.40% |
| 42 | 1970 | Dallas, TX | 844,401 | 2.20% |
| 43 | 1970 | Washington, DC | 756,510 | -0.10% |
| 44 | 1970 | Cleveland, OH | 750,903 | -1.50% |
| 45 | 1970 | Indianapolis, IN | 744,624 | 4.60% |
| 46 | 1970 | Milwaukee, WI | 717,099 | -0.30% |
| 47 | 1970 | San Francisco, CA | 715,674 | -0.30% |
| 48 | 1970 | San Diego, CA | 696,769 | 2.00% |
| 49 | 1970 | San Antonio, TX | 654,153 | 1.10% |
| 50 | 1970 | Boston, MA | 641,071 | -0.80% |
| 51 | 1970 | Memphis, TN | 623,530 | 2.30% |
| 52 | 1970 | St. Louis, MO | 622,236 | -1.90% |
| 53 | 1970 | New Orleans, LA | 593,471 | -0.60% |
| 54 | 1970 | Phoenix, AZ | 581,562 | 2.80% |
| 55 | 1970 | Columbus, OH | 539,677 | 1.40% |
| 56 | 1970 | Seattle, WA | 530,831 | -0.50% |
| 57 | 1970 | Jacksonville, FL | 528,865 | 10.20% |
| 58 | 1970 | Pittsburgh, PA | 520,117 | -1.50% |
| 59 | 1970 | Denver, CO | 514,678 | 0.40% |
| 60 | 1970 | Kansas City, MO | 507,087 | 0.60% |
| 61 | 1970 | Atlanta, GA | 496,973 | 0.20% |
| 62 | 1970 | Buffalo, NY | 462,768 | -1.40% |
| 63 | 1970 | Cincinnati, OH | 452,524 | -1.00% |
| 64 | 1970 | Nashville, TN | 448,003 | 10.10% |
| 65 | 1970 | San Jose, CA | 445,779 | 8.10% |
| 66 | 1970 | Minneapolis, MN | 434,400 | -1.10% |
| 67 | 1970 | Fort Worth, TX | 393,476 | 1.00% |
| 68 | 2024 | New York, New York | 8,258,035 | -2.00% |
| 69 | 2024 | Los Angeles, CA | 3,820,914 | -0.60% |
| 70 | 2024 | Chicago, IL | 2,664,452 | -0.90% |
| 71 | 2024 | Houston, TX | 2,314,157 | 0.20% |
| 72 | 2024 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,650,070 | 0.80% |
| 73 | 2024 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,550,542 | -1.10% |
| 74 | 2024 | San Antonio, TX | 1,495,295 | 1.30% |
| 75 | 2024 | San Diego, CA | 1,388,320 | 0.10% |
| 76 | 2024 | Dallas, TX | 1,302,868 | 0.00% |
| 77 | 2024 | Jacksonville, FL | 985,843 | 1.20% |
| 78 | 2024 | Austin, TX | 979,882 | 0.60% |
| 79 | 2024 | Fort Worth, TX | 978,468 | 2.00% |
| 80 | 2024 | San Jose, CA | 969,655 | -1.40% |
| 81 | 2024 | Columbus, OH | 913,175 | 0.30% |
| 82 | 2024 | Charlotte, NC | 911,311 | 1.30% |
| 83 | 2024 | Indianapolis, IN | 879,293 | -0.30% |
| 84 | 2024 | San Francisco, CA | 808,988 | -2.40% |
| 85 | 2024 | Seattle, WA | 755,078 | 0.80% |
| 86 | 2024 | Denver, CO | 716,577 | 0.00% |
| 87 | 2024 | Oklahoma City, OK | 702,767 | 1.00% |
| 88 | 2024 | Nashville, TN | 687,788 | -0.10% |
| 89 | 2024 | Washington, DC | 678,972 | -0.50% |
| 90 | 2024 | El Paso, TX | 678,958 | 0.00% |
| 91 | 2024 | Las Vegas, NV | 660,929 | 0.90% |
| 92 | 2024 | Boston, MA | 653,833 | -1.00% |
| 93 | 2024 | Detroit, MI | 633,218 | -0.30% |
| 94 | 2024 | Portland, OR | 630,498 | -1.10% |
| 95 | 2024 | Louisville, KY | 622,981 | -0.50% |
| 96 | 2024 | Memphis, TN | 618,639 | -0.70% |
| 97 | 2024 | Baltimore, MD | 565,239 | -1.00% |
| 98 | 2024 | Milwaukee, WI | 561,385 | -0.90% |
| 99 | 2024 | Albuquerque, NM | 560,274 | -0.30% |
| 100 | 2024 | Tucson, AZ | 547,239 | 0.30% |