Reasons for Moves Out Of and Into Large Cities

Surveys of recent movers in twenty-seven large metropolitan areas indicate that neighborhood characteristics, school quality, and commuting-related reasons precipitate only a small fraction of all moves, including moves out from a city to its suburbs. Many moves occurring within metropolitan areas in the 1970s are for reasons that are insensitive to feasible policy action. The findings imply that public programs designed to alter the destination choice of movers will prove more fruitful than attempts to alter the rate at which people move.