SEPT. 22, 2022 – The U.S. Census Bureau today released a new report examining the domestic migration patterns of adults age 65 and up in the United States.  

The report, Domestic Migration of Older Americans: 2015-2019, compares the general mobility of people over and under age 65 (especially those ages 55 and 64), exploring how many moved — and where — by age, sex and disability status.

The report, based on 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, examines net migration rates at the region, division and state levels, identifying areas with the biggest net migration gains and losses as well as older movers’ most popular origins and domestic destinations.

Highlights:

• Over 3 million adults age 65 and over moved during the prior year, or about 6.2% of the age 65 and older population.
• About 58% of moves during the prior year for older adults were within same county moves.
• Older female movers far outnumbered male movers, even though the migration rates by sex differed only slightly.
• People age 85 and older had the largest percentage of moves that were within county (64%) compared to all other age groups.
• Older adults with a disability were more likely to move and made more short-distance moves than those without a disability.

The National Institute on Aging’s Division of Behavioral and Social Research partly supported this Census Bureau research.

A detailed America Counts story for this report is also scheduled for release this fall.

No news release associated with this report. Tip sheet only.