Migrant Workers’ Residential Choices and China’s Urbanization Path: Evidence from Northeastern China

The controversy over whether the path of prioritizing large cities sprawling or the path of prioritizing small cities development is better for Chinese urbanization is unresolved. In northeastern China, extremely low fertility and increasing rural emigration are weakening the population foundation for industrialization and urbanization. Therefore, the approach to urbanization is key to a regional economic revival. Survey data from 2014 on 1,242 migrant workers in 6 cities in Liaoning Province were used to analyze residential choices and their determinants to respond to the controversy. The results found that midsized or large cities and cities near the hometown were preferred over small cities and cities far from the hometown; therefore, prioritizing large cities sprawling is more responsive to migrant workers’ choices in northeastern China. Gender, age, educational attainment, wages, employment quality, income satisfaction, length of employment, urban health insurance, history of family migration, and family land size predicted the choices.