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Why Americans stopped moving

Housing And Homelessness,Culture,Economy And Jobs,Young People

From the Left

The share of Americans moving has reached its lowest in history — and it doesn’t look like it’s climbing back up anytime soon.

Why it matters: Moving — across town, across the state and across the country — for new jobs and better lives was once a common part of American life. Now, staying put longer is the norm.

By the numbers: In the 1960s, around 1 in 5 Americans moved each year, according to the Brookings Institution.

As of 2022, that’s fallen to 8.7% — even accounting for the pandemic-era moves out of big coastal cities and into places like the Sun Belt.

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