Exploring Residential Mobility among Low-Income Families

While it is widely recognized that low-income families move frequently, the complexities of such transitions are not well understood. This article uses panel data from the Women’s Employment Study to examine the patterns and correlates of different forms of mobility among one sample of low-income mothers in the years following welfare reform. The analysis reveals considerable heterogeneity between movers and nonmovers and, to a lesser extent, between those who experience positive and negative moves. Most families experience positive residential transitions, yet nearly a quarter of movers are dissatisfied with their housing circumstances following a move. Multivariate analyses show that being African American, experiencing a job loss, and reporting hard drug use significantly increase the probability of experiencing negative mobility, while having a physical health problem increases the probability of dissatisfaction in the absence of mobility.