Chapter 1. Demographics

Indicator 5. The Mobility of the Youth Population

Youth and young adults in 2009 were generally less geographically mobile than their counterparts in 1981, 1991, or 2001. In 2009, a lower percentage of 20-to 24-year-olds reported that they had moved duringthe year than did 20-to 24-year-olds in 1981 (27 vs. 38 percent). In addition, a lower percentage of youth ages 15 to 19 moved in 2009 compared to 1991 (13 vs. 18 percent). Approximately 9 percent of young adults moved to a different county in 2009, compared to 15 percent in 1981. About 3 percent of young adults moved to a different state in 2009, a percentage not measurably different from the 6 percent of young adults who did so in 1981. In comparison to the total population, a greater percentage of young adults moved in 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2009, while the percentage of youth who moved was not measurably different from that of the overall population in any of the years. For each year shown, greater percentages of young adults ages 20 to 24 than youth ages 15 to 19 had moved.

View Table 5
View Figure 5