Declining Migration within the U.S.: The Role of the Labor Market

48 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2014 Last revised: 30 Apr 2023

See all articles by Raven Molloy

Raven Molloy

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Christopher L. Smith

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Abigail Wozniak

Federal Reserve Banks - Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Date Written: April 2014

Abstract

Interstate migration has decreased steadily since the 1980s. We show that this trend is not primarily related to demographic and socioeconomic factors, but instead appears to be connected to a concurrent secular decline in labor market transitions. We explore a number of reasons for the declines in geographic and labor market transitions, and find the strongest support for explanations related to a decrease in the net benefit to changing employers. Our preferred interpretation is that the distribution of relevant outside offers has shifted in a way that has made labor market transitions, and thus geographic transitions, less desirable to workers.

Suggested Citation

Molloy, Raven and Smith, Christopher L. and Wozniak, Abigail, Declining Migration within the U.S.: The Role of the Labor Market (April 2014). NBER Working Paper No. w20065, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2427167

Raven Molloy (Contact Author)

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

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Christopher L. Smith

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

Abigail Wozniak

Federal Reserve Banks - Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis ( email )

90 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55480
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Germany

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