A poplulation on the move.

Your textbook points out the the US population is quite mobile. In fact, Americans are more than twice as likely to move as people from Canada or Europe.

Read "Moving Population" in your textbook (p.31). Note, what percentage of Americans move every year?
 
Specifically, the population is generally moving from the Rust Belt and Frost Belt to the Sun Belt. Companies often move their operations south for a number of reasons including the following:

• Lower labor costs
• Lower cost of living
• More advantageous labor laws

Gross migration, the percentage of people moving in any given year peaked around 3% in 1991 has fallen to about 1.5% today. Note the difference between Gross and Net migration in the chart below.

Think: Given what you know about other changes in society (ie immigration, aging baby boomers, technological, cultural changes, etc.), what do you think could explain the decline in the number of people who move from state to state?

Read this article. What does the author think could be the cause of the decrease in mobility?

Note the two reasons that the authors give for the decrease in mobility. Do you think these reasons are valid?

This article offers another reason. What is it?

Discuss: Would you travel to another state to live? Why or why not? Why might someone move to West Tennessee? Why might a business relocate to West Tennessee?