Here's Why People Move Homes, And How Those Reasons Have Changed Since 1999

Americans move around a lot. More than one in ten people in the U.S. changed homes between March 2012 and March 2013, and their reasons for moving around varied.

The Census analyzed current population survey data on the 11.3% of the population who moved between March 2012 and March 2013 to figure out what their reasons for moving were. This chart shows the breakdown of survey responses:

Almost half of movers changed homes for housing-related reasons, like wanting a better or cheaper house or apartment. A little over 12% of movers were people forming their own households. This usually consists of children moving out on their own.

The Census also included a chart showing how these reasons have changed over time, comparing the percentages of movers giving different reasons in 1999 and 2013:

Looking for cheaper housing, and miscellaneous housing and family reasons have become more common, while a smaller proportion of movers in 2013 wanted a new or better place to live than in 1999.