Hoosiers on the Move

Rachel Strange

Between 2011 and 2012, 15 percent of Indiana’s population moved, consistent with the national rate, according to the 2012 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. What do we know about these residents on the move?

60 percent of the 964,000 Indiana residents who moved in the prior year changed homes within the same county (see Figure 1). Meanwhile, 14 percent of those who moved came from a different state.

Figure 1: Where Indiana Residents Who Moved in the Past Year Moved From, 2012

figure 1 graph

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

Figure 2 shows that as people age, they are less prone to moving. While 36 percent of the 20-to-24 age group moved in the past year, the percentage consistently falls for each successive cohort until reaching a low of 5 percent for those aged 70 to 74.

Figure 2: Percent of Indiana Population that Moved in the Past Year by Age, 2012

figure 2 graph

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

Thirty-three percent of renters moved between 2011 and 2012, compared to just 6 percent of homeowners in the state. Likewise, a smaller percentage of the married population had moved within the past year (9 percent) relative to the never married group (24 percent).

Additionally, whereas just 10 percent of those at or above 150 percent of the poverty line moved, that number increases to 27 percent for those below the poverty line (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Indiana Population Who Moved in the Past Year by Poverty Status, 2012

figure 3 graph

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

When looking at movement by educational attainment, the percentages do not differ that dramatically. Whereas 15 percent of those without a high school diploma moved between 2011 and 2012, 10 percent of those with a graduate or professional degree had moved in the past year (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Indiana Population Who Moved in the Past Year by Educational Attainment, 2012

figure 4 graph

Source: IBRC, using U.S. Census Bureau data

Learn More

To learn more about movers from the American Community Survey, visit American FactFinder from the U.S. Census Bureau and use the keyword “Geographic Mobility.” For more information about Indiana’s housing market, visit the Housing Topic Page on STATS Indiana.