Human Migration: Theory, Models, and Empirical Studies*

A general review of studies on internal migration within the United States since 1970 is presented. The author first describes the changes that have occurred during the recent past in U.S. internal migration patterns. The state of knowledge concerning these changes is also assessed. A more abstract discussion of the determinants of migration, covering both the theoretical and empirical literature, is then presented. Next, the empirical findings associated with several new time-series migration data sets are reviewed, and the application of econometric methodologies to temporal models of migration is considered. The review concludes with a summary of recent research results and some pointers for future research.