how often the average American moves

  • I'm looking for data on how often Americans relocate. Another way to answer this question would be to find out how long Americans own their homes. An academic (i.e., published in a journal) reference is ideal. A government reference is the next-best thing. A magazine article is OK as well.


  • Dear mtalinm-ga; Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. Here is a series of documents from the US Census Bureau that I believe will sufficiently answer your question. Here are some pertinent excerpts to show you the kinds of conclusions the research has made: ?About 1 in 6 Americans move each year.? ?The average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime.? US CENSUS BUREAU ?Geographical Mobility? http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/geomob.html The document goes quite deeper than this first page so you?ll probably want to study it in detail (which will probably take some time depending on how much and what types of information you are needing): US CENSUS BUREAU ?AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY? http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs.html AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY ?National Data? http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/nationaldata.html AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY ?Metropolitan Data? http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/metropolitandata.html One must appreciate of course that government statistics are somewhat belated because many studies, polls, surveys and samplings are taken from the previous completed decade. It would be atypical to find Governmental statistical information on any subject that is current as of today. I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us. Best regards; Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher INFORMATION SOURCES Defined above SEARCH STRATEGY SEARCH ENGINE USED: Google ://www.google.com SEARCH TERMS USED: Average American Move Relocate Frequency How often Statistics Survey


  • thanks! - avg # moves in a lifetime gets me most of the way there. to complete the answer, I need to know the average lifespan of an American. is that 77 or so?


  • No problem. Again, looking to published government documents, according to the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics based on information and trends gathered as late as 2003, the average life expectancy of an American is 77.6 years. National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lifexpec.htm (published Aug 25, 2005) I hope this follow up answer helps you come to the conclusion you are seeking. I look forward to your rating and final comments. Regards; tutuzdad-ga