New numbers from the Census Bureau show that fewer Americans moved in 2020 than ever before, belying dire predictions about the death of cities and the hollowing out of urban neighborhoods.
Despite the hype over a perceived 'urban exodus' due to COVID-19, Americans actually moved less in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center and data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. Richard Fry and D'Vera Cohn report that with only 8 percent of Americans making a move between March 2020 and March 2021, this is the lowest rate since the government started keeping records in 1948.
According to the article, "More people moved out of U.S. cities than moved into them," and "more people moved out of rural areas than moved into them in 2020." The only cities that experienced increased out-migration from previous years were New York and San Francisco. And while "suburbs had more people moving in from other U.S. communities than out," fewer Americans moved into suburban areas in 2020 than in prior years. The survey also indicates that people between 18 and 29 were most likely to move and that many pandemic moves were temporary.
The authors note that these numbers only reflect domestic migration and do not account for people moving in from abroad, or births and deaths. But the data runs counter to the popular narrative that Americans fled cities for lower-density communities in larger numbers during the pandemic.
FULL STORY: In 2020, fewer Americans moved, exodus from cities slowed
Report: Pandemic Migration Accelerated Existing Trends
Despite some transformative changes and brief spikes in domestic migration, the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be exacerbating existing declines in internal mobility.
Pandemic-Era Big City Population Loss More Dramatic Than We Thought
A new analysis indicates that many big cities saw their biggest population declines in at least a decade, with suburbs also showing a slowdown in growth.
Manhattan’s Population Is on the Rebound
After the ‘urban exodus’ brought on by the pandemic, most of New York City’s boroughs are regaining their population.
Red Cities, Blue Cities, and Crime
Homicides rose across the nation in 2020 and 2021. But did they rise equally in all cities, or was the situation worse in some than in others?
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
IPCC Report: The World Is Running Out of Time on Climate Change
The planet is not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent report published by the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Skyline-Defining High-Rise Potentially Coming to Boise
A rendering making the rounds in Boise depicts a 40-story apartment building that would be taller than all other buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Buttigieg: Tesla ‘Autopilot’ Marketing ‘A Concern’
The USDOT secretary says marketing doesn’t fall under his department’s investigative authority, but expressed disapproval of language that implies autonomous operation.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
Cornell University
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
