Americans are moving less frequently than they once did, with the share of people relocating within a year hitting a new low in 2024. Just 11.8% of the population changed residences last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, marking the lowest level since at least 2010.
GlobeSt.com’s analysis of the Census Bureau data shows mobility has been steadily declining over the past decade and a half. In 2010, 15.4% of Americans moved within a year, and the percentage fell nearly every year afterward. The trend dipped to 14.0% by 2018, dropped under 13% in 2021, and settled below 12% in 2023 and 2024. The only years that bucked the general decline were 2020 and 2022, when the rate temporarily rose.
The Census data also show where movers are going. In 2024, about 5.9% of the population relocated within the same county, while 3.0% moved to another county. Roughly 2.1% crossed state lines, and 0.8% came from abroad.
Alongside the decline in mobility, housing costs are rising. The median monthly cost for homeowners with a mortgage climbed to $2,035 in 2024, up 3.8% from an inflation-adjusted $1,960 the year before. That year-over-year increase was higher than the 3.0% bump recorded between 2022 and 2023.
Altogether, there were 132.7 million households in the U.S. in 2024, and nearly half—46.7%—consisted of married couples. More than half of owner-occupied homes carried a monthly mortgage, while 35.0 million homes were owned free and clear, nearly 900,000 more than in 2023. Vermont and New Mexico recorded the largest increases in mortgage-free homes, with gains of 8.9% and 8.7%, respectively.
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