Household Economic Studies

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration U U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

Seasonality of Moves and the Duration 

and Tenure of Residence: 2004

INTRODUCTION

Geographic mobility is a frequent aspect 

of American life. Each year millions of 

people in the United States move to a new 

home. The most frequently asked questions about this mobility concern (1) the 

time of the year when moves occur (the 

seasonality of moves), (2) the length of 

time that people stay in one place (the 

duration of residence), and (3) homeownership status (the tenure of residence).

The data in this report come from the 

second interview of the 2004 Survey of 

Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 

panel, conducted between June and 

September 2004.1 This report continues 

an analysis of the seasonality of moves 

and duration of residence fi rst reported 

using data from the 1993 panel of the 

SIPP.2 The 2004 panel included a question 

that asked the respondent to report the 

housing tenure (owner or renter status) 

of his or her current and previous 

residences.3 New information presented 

in this report shows transitions in tenure, 

such as a shift from previously living in 

a renter-occupied unit to currently living 

in an owner-occupied unit. Other new 

information shows the characteristics of 

people who have never moved in their 

lifetimes.

SEASONALITY OF MOVES

Information about the seasonality of 

moves is useful to schools, businesses, 

service providers, and others whose work 

may vary by time of the year. The data 

on seasonality of moves contained in 

this report were tabulated by the characteristics of the movers at the time the 

survey was conducted. Some characteristics—such as marital status, parenthood, 

citizenship, education, and income—may 

have been diff erent at the time of the 

most recent move, which may have 

occurred at any time prior to the survey. 

With the exception of tenure of previous 

residence, the survey did not collect data 

on the characteristics of people at the 

time they moved.4

Issued July 2010

P70-122

By

Matthew C. Marlay 

and

Alison K. Fields

Current

Population

Reports

1 The population represented (population 

universe) is the civilian, noninstitutionalized, adult 

population (15 years and older) living in the United 

States. 2 See P70-66, Seasonality of Moves and Duration 

of Residence, issued in October 1998. Note that in 

that report, moves into both current and previous 

residences were used to analyze when the moves 

occurred, while in this report, time of move is limited 

to the month each person moved into his or her current residence. 3 The inclusion of this question was documented 

in Population Division Working Paper No. 69, 

Seasonality of Moves and the Duration and Tenure of 

Residence: 1996 (November 2002), which includes 

additional analysis of seasonality of moves, duration 

in residence, and patterns of settlement. This working paper is available at <www.census.gov

/population/www/documentation/twps0069

/twps0069.html>.

4 The results in the section on the seasonality of 

moves only include the people who reported both 

at least one move in their lifetime and a month and 

year that they moved into their current residence 

(an estimated 204,546,000 people). The estimated 

number of people in the United States 15 years and 

older from the 2004 SIPP is 227,162,000. Fewer 

people provided both a tenure of current residence 

and tenure of previous residence (215,504,000); 

responses for this group are shown in the section 

on tenure changes. The section on duration in 

residence is limited to the estimated 216,204,000 

people who reported the month and year they 

moved into their current residence.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

As Table 1 and Figure 1 indicate, 

moves are not evenly distributed 

throughout the year.5 More people 

moved in the summer months 

(defi ned here as June, July, and 

August) than in any of the other 

three quarters, presumably because 

the weather is good and children 

are less likely to be in school. As 

illustrated in Figure 2, the month 

of June had the largest proportion 

of people changing residence (12 

percent), followed by August, July, 

and May (about 10, 10, and 9 percent, respectively).6 More than 40 

percent of all moves (41 percent) 

took place during the 4 months of 

May through August. After August, 

the proportion of people 15 

years and older who moved each 

month declined, with the lowest 

proportion from December through 

February, when winter weather 

conditions in many areas make 

moving more diffi cult and children 

are enrolled in school.

There is little variation in the 

seasonality of moves reported 

on surveys taken over the past 

decade. Table 1 and Figure 1 show 

that, for all of the panels from 1993 

Table 1. 

Seasonality of Moves for People 15 Years and Older: Survey of Income and Program 

Participation (SIPP), 1993–2004

Season of move

1993 SIPP 1996 SIPP 2001 SIPP 2004 SIPP

Percent Percent Percent Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Winter (December, January, February) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.6 18.8 20.3 20.7

Spring (March, April, May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.7 22.6 24.0 23.5

Summer (June, July, August) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.9 32.0 32.3 32.2

Fall (September, October, November) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.8 26.6 23.5 23.6

Note: The data in this table are for people who: 1) reported a valid month in which they began living in their current residence and 2) had at least one lifetime 

move. In the P70-66 report based on the 1993 SIPP panel, the months of moves into both current and previous residences were used to analyze the seasonality of the moves. Seasonality of moves discussed using the 1996, 2001, and 2004 SIPP panels is limited to the month each person moved into his or her current 

residence.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 1993, 1996, 2001, and 2004 Panels, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

Figure 1. 

Seasonality of Moves for People 15 Years and Older:

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

1993–2004

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Fall 

(September–November)

Summer

(June–August) 

Spring 

(March–May)

Winter 

(December–February)

Percent of moves

1993 

2004

 

1996 

2001 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 1993, 

1996, 2001, and 2004 Panels, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

 5 The SIPP asks respondents who are at 

least 15 years old to provide the month and 

year they moved into their current residence. 

It is possible that people who have moved out 

of the house and then back (for example, college students who went away to school and 

are now home for the summer) reported the 

date of their most recent move back to the 

residence rather than the date they originally 

moved into the residence. 

 6 The estimates in this report (which 

may be shown in text, fi gures, and tables) 

are based on responses from a sample of the 

population and may diff er from the actual 

values because of sampling variability or 

other factors. As a result, apparent diff erences between the estimates for two or more 

groups may not be statistically signifi cant. 

All comparative statements have undergone 

statistical testing and are signifi cant at the 

90 percent confi dence level unless otherwise 

noted. 
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Figure 2.

Distribution of Most Recent Move by Month for the Population 15 Years and 

Older, 2004

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Percent of moves

to 2004, summer was the quarter 

with the highest percentage of 

moves for respondents in each SIPP 

panel. Winter consistently had the 

lowest proportion of moves during 

the course of a year, while the proportion of moves occurring in the 

spring and fall fell in the middle for 

every survey panel.

Table 2 shows the seasonality of 

moves into current residence by 

detailed characteristics of movers, 

as reported in the 2004 survey. 

The table shows that there are few 

diff erences in the seasonality of 

moving among diff erent population groups: people moved most 

often in the summer, with around 

30 percent of people in any group 

experiencing their most recent 

move then. The lowest proportion 

of moves occurred primarily in 

the winter for most groups, while 

in a few cases the lowest levels 

occurred in the fall or spring.

Summer 

The population aged 15 to 24 

was more likely than all other age 

groups to have moved during the 

summer. As educational attainment 

increased, people were statistically 

more likely to concentrate moves 

during the summer months. About 

34 percent of people with at least a 

bachelor’s degree moved during the 

summer, compared with 31 percent 

of people who had less than a high 

school diploma. People currently 

living in the Northeast and 

Midwest regions of the United 

States were more likely to have 

moved in the summer (34 and 33 

percent, respectively) than were 

people living in the South (31 

percent) and West (32 percent).7

In general, the relative distance of 

domestic moves increased concomitantly with the proportion of 

moves that occurred in the summer months. While the data do not 

permit a direct calculation of the 

distance moved, we can estimate 

the relative distance, assuming that 

people who move within the same 

county are moving, on average, a 

shorter distance than those moving 

between counties, and that those 

moving between states are moving 

the longest distance. The proportion of moves in the 3 summer 

months increased from 32 percent 

for those moving within the same 

county to 33 percent for those 

moving between counties within 

the same state and to 35 percent 

for those making an interstate 

move.

Winter 

People living in the Midwest 

showed lower rates of moving 

during the winter months, perhaps 

due to weather conditions that 

make moving more diffi cult. People 

with at least a bachelor’s degree 

were also less likely to have moved 

7 The proportion of Northeasterners 

and Midwesterners moving in the summer 

months did not diff er statistically from 

each other; neither did the proportions of 

Southerners and Westerners.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2. 

Seasonality of Most Recent Move for People 15 Years and Older by Selected 

Characteristics, 2004

Characteristic

Movers, 15 years and older Percent distribution of movers

Number

90 percent confi dence 

interval1

December–

February

March–

May

June–

August

September–

November

 Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204,546 204,019–205,073 20.7 23.5 32.2 23.6

SEX

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98,117 97,260–98,974 20.8 23.4 32.3 23.5

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106,428 105,564–107,292 20.6 23.5 32.2 23.7

AGE

15 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,695 31,096–32,294 20.8 23.8 34.1 21.3

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,444 34,817–36,071 21.0 24.7 31.6 22.7

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,121 39,462–40,780 20.4 24.2 32.2 23.3

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,655 38,005–39,305 20.7 23.6 31.2 24.6

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,103 26,543–27,663 20.5 22.0 32.4 25.1

65 years and older. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,527 30,929–32,125 21.0 21.7 32.2 25.1

MARITAL STATUS

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116,710 115,845–117,575 20.3 23.5 31.9 24.3

 Spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114,566 113,700–115,432 20.2 23.5 31.9 24.4

 Spouse absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,145 1,977–2,312 26.9 23.4 30.7 19.0

Widowed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,105 11,717–12,493 20.7 22.5 32.9 24.0

Separated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,059 3,830–4,288 23.4 24.4 30.9 21.3

Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,525 20,030–21,020 22.2 23.1 31.1 23.6

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,146 50,424–51,868 20.8 23.6 33.3 22.2

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168,469 167,708–169,230 20.5 23.4 32.4 23.8

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145,138 144,305–145,971 19.9 23.1 32.6 24.4

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,594 22,077–23,111 22.4 23.9 31.4 22.3

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,143 6,841–7,444 19.6 24.7 31.9 23.9

All other races alone or in combination . . . . . . . . . . . 6,341 6,056–6,626 21.2 23.1 30.8 24.9

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,179 24,636–25,722 24.0 24.8 30.7 20.5

NATIVITY AND CITIZENSHIP

Native-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177,051 176,329–177,773 20.2 23.4 32.7 23.8

Foreign-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,494 26,930–28,058 23.9 24.0 29.2 22.8

 Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,525 12,131–12,919 22.7 24.3 30.0 23.1

 Noncitizen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,969 14,540–15,398 24.8 23.9 28.6 22.7

OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18

Not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127,599 126,740–128,458 20.5 23.1 32.4 24.0

Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76,947 76,128–77,766 21.1 24.0 31.9 23.1

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,657 32,051–33,263 23.1 23.5 30.8 22.7

High school graduate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,163 54,422–55,904 20.8 23.3 32.0 23.9

Some college/associate’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68,270 67,477–69,063 20.4 23.6 32.0 24.1

Bachelor’s degree or more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,455 47,747–49,163 19.5 23.4 33.8 23.3

HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED MEANS-TESTED 

 BENEFITS

Yes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,884 52,153–53,615 22.7 23.4 31.6 22.4

No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151,662 150,845–152,479 20.0 23.5 32.4 24.1

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME2

Under $25,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,473 42,793–44,153 22.2 24.0 31.6 22.2

$25,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,417 54,675–56,159 20.9 23.0 32.0 24.1

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,761 42,085–43,437 19.9 23.7 32.4 24.0

$75,000 and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62,896 62,122–63,670 20.1 23.2 32.7 24.0

REGION OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,393 36,752–38,034 20.0 21.8 33.5 24.6

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,643 45,945–47,341 17.8 23.2 33.2 25.8

South. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,069 72,261–73,877 22.9 23.5 31.3 22.2

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,440 46,737–48,143 20.8 24.8 31.5 22.9

HOUSING TENURE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Owner-occupied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146,041 145,210–146,872 20.2 23.3 31.8 24.8

Renter-occupied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,505 57,749–59,261 22.0 23.9 33.3 20.8

 See footnotes at end of table. 
U.S. Census Bureau 5

most recently during December, 

January, or February, compared 

with people with less than a high 

school degree. For a few groups, 

the rates of moving in the winter 

were quite high. People for whom 

the most recent move was from 

outside the United States moved 

more in the winter. A higher proportion (27 percent) of moves from 

abroad took place in the winter 

months (December, January, and 

February) compared with interstate, intrastate, and intracounty 

moves (21 percent, 21 percent, and 

20 percent, respectively). Overall 

the foreign-born population was 

more likely to move in the winter 

months compared with the nativeborn (24 percent and 20 percent, 

respectively).8 Naturalized citizens 

were less likely than noncitizens to 

have experienced their most recent 

move in the winter (23 percent and 

25 percent, respectively). Hispanics 

were more likely to have had their 

most recent move in the winter 

than the other race groups.9 

Spring and Fall

Spring was the season that generally had the highest proportion of 

recent moves after the summer 

months, with between a fi fth and a 

quarter of moves having occurred 

during this time for each group. 

The proportional level of moving in 

this season was fairly homogenous 

across groups. People moving 

within and to the Western region of 

the United States were more likely 

to move in the spring months of 

March, April, and May (25 percent) 

than were people currently living 

in the other regions. Local moves, 

those within the same county, 

occurred more frequently in the 

spring than did longer distance 

moves.

The proportion of moves occurring in the fall showed substantial 

variation, both between and within 

groups. Older people, defi ned as 

those aged 45 and older, were 

somewhat more likely to move in 

the fall (September, October, and 

November) than were younger 

people (aged 15 to 44). About a 

quarter of the moves of people 

aged 45 and older were made in 

the fall, compared with about a 

fi fth of the moves of those aged 15 

to 24. People in households without their own children under age 

18 were not diff erent from those in 

Table 2. 

Seasonality of Most Recent Move for People 15 Years and Older by Selected 

Characteristics, 2004—Con.

Characteristic

Movers, 15 years and older Percent distribution of movers

Number

90 percent confi dence 

interval1

December–

February

March–

May

June–

August

September–

November

TYPE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Metropolitan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170,599 169,847–171,351 20.7 23.7 32.3 23.3

Nonmetropolitan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,947 33,331–34,563 20.8 22.1 31.9 25.3

TYPE OF MOVE (FROM PREVIOUS RESIDENCE)

Same state, same county. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146,437 145,607–147,267 20.7 24.0 31.7 23.6

Same state, different county. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,603 31,005–32,201 20.6 22.7 33.0 23.6

Different state. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,509 21,993–23,025 20.1 21.1 34.8 24.0

From abroad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,997 3,770–4,224 26.6 21.2 29.7 22.6

1 This range represents the 90 percent confi dence interval around the estimate. 2

 The annual income per household is based on the annualized average of the monthly incomes for households during the 4 months of the second wave of the 

SIPP 2004 panel. 

Note: The data in this table are for people who: 1) reported a valid month in which they began living in their current residence and 2) had at least one lifetime 

move.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

8 For the purposes of this report, “native” 

or “native-born” refers to anyone born in the 

United States, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Island 

Area (U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern 

Mariana Islands, American Samoa), or born 

abroad to American parents.

9 Federal surveys now give respondents 

the option of reporting more than one race. 

Therefore, two basic ways of defi ning a race 

group are possible. A group such as Asian 

may be defi ned as those who reported Asian 

and no other race (the race-alone or singlerace concept) or as those who reported Asian 

regardless of whether they also reported 

another race (the race-alone-or-in-combination 

concept). The body of this report (text, 

fi gures, and tables) shows data for people 

who reported they were White, Black, or 

Asian alone. People who reported that race 

in combination with another race and people 

who reported another race alone are shown 

in a separate category. Use of the single-race 

populations does not imply that it is the 

preferred method of presenting or analyzing 

data. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a variety 

of approaches. For further information, see 

the Census 2000 Brief Overview of Race and 

Hispanic Origin: 2000 (C2KBR/01-1) at

 <www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/

c2kbr01-1.pdf>.

 Because Hispanics may be of any race, 

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with 

data for the White, Black, Asian, and other 

race populations. Based on the population 15 

years and older in the 2004 SIPP, 14 percent 

of the White-alone population, 3 percent of 

the Black-alone population, 1 percent of the 

Asian-alone population, and 16 percent of 

the other races alone and in-combination 

population were also Hispanic. In the text 

of this report, the groups “White alone, nonHispanic,” “Black alone,” and “Asian alone” are 

referred to as “White,” “Black,” and “Asian,” 

respectively.
6 U.S. Census Bureau

households with their own children 

under age 18 with respect to recent 

moves in the winter and summer. 

However, households with children 

moved less often during the early 

part of the school year than did 

those households without children. 

Among people in households with 

their own children under age 18, 

23 percent moved in the fall, compared with about 24 percent for 

people in households without their 

own children.

For some groups, particularly ones 

that had higher levels of movement 

in the winter months, the fall 

(September, October, and 

November) had the year’s lowest 

levels of moves. Hispanics saw fall 

as the season with the lowest level 

of most recent moves (21 percent). 

People who were married with their 

spouse present were more likely 

than either those who were separated or those who were married 

with their spouse absent to have 

moved in the fall. People currently 

living in renter-occupied homes (21 

percent) were less likely than those 

currently in owner-occupied homes 

(25 percent) to have had their most 

recent move in the fall.

DURATION OF CURRENT 

RESIDENCE

Duration of residence is the length 

of time that a person has lived in 

his or her current home. This measure does not attempt to project 

how long each person might continue to live in the unit he or she 

occupies beyond the time of the 

SIPP interview. For this report, the 

duration of current residence is the 

number of calendar months that 

have elapsed between the month a 

respondent moved into his or her 

current residence and the month 

the survey was administered. For 

those who have never moved (i.e., 

people who have always lived in 

their current residence), the duration of residence is the person’s age 

in months. The median duration 

in years was calculated by dividing the median number of calendar 

months lived in the current residence by 12. 

Median Duration of Current 

Residence Is 5.9 years

In 2004, the median duration of 

current residence for the U.S. 

population 15 years and older was 

5.9 years, as Table 3 shows. This 

means that half of all people 15 

years and older have lived in their 

current residences longer than 5.9 

years, while half have lived in their 

residences a shorter time. Thirtynine million people, or 14 percent 

of the population, moved between 

March 2003 and March 2004.10 

The duration-in-residence data in 

Table 3 show that in 2004 about 16 

percent of the population had lived 

in their current homes fewer than 

12 months, while 37 percent of the 

population had lived in their current residences for 120 months or 

more (10 years or longer). As Table 

3 shows, persons living in rental 

units have a far shorter median 

duration, 2.0 years, while persons 

who are owners have lived in their 

current residences much longer, 

with half having been there longer 

than 8.7 years.

Table 3. 

Duration of Current Residence (in Months) for People 15 Years and Older by Tenure of 

Residence, 2004

Characteristic Total, 15 years and 

older 

Percent distribution

Living in all unit types

Living in an owneroccupied unitLiving in a renteroccupied unit

 Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,204 216,204 155,979 60,225

DURATION (IN MONTHS)

Less than 12 months. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,169 16.3 9.4 34.1

12 to 23 months. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,725 9.1 6.8 15.1

24 to 35 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,595 7.7 6.6 10.4

36 to 47 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,735 6.4 5.9 7.6

48 to 59 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,756 5.9 6.0 5.6

60 to 71 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,335 4.8 5.0 4.2

72 to 83 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,133 3.8 4.1 2.9

84 to 95 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,288 3.4 3.7 2.5

96 to 107 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,804 3.2 3.5 2.2

108 to 119 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,026 2.8 3.3 1.6

120 months or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79,637 36.8 45.7 13.9

Median Duration (in years)1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,204 5.9 8.7 2.0

1 The median duration lived in current residence in years is calculated by dividing the median duration in months by 12.

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a month and year they began living in their current residence.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

10 U.S. Census Bureau (2005). “Geographical Mobility: 2004 Detailed Tables.” Available 

online at <www.census.gov/population

/www/socdemo/migrate/cps2004.html>.
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 4. 

Duration of Current Residence for People 15 Years and Older by Selected 

Characteristics, 2004

Characteristic Total, 15 years 

and older

Percent distribution Median years 

in current 

residence1

Fewer than 12 

months

12 to 35 

months

36 to 119 

months

120 months or 

more

 Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . 216,204 16.3 16.8 30.1 36.8 5.9

SEX

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104,365 16.6 17.0 30.0 36.4 5.8

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111,839 16.0 16.6 30.2 37.2 6.0

AGE

15 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,028 25.1 18.0 24.9 32.1 4.3

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,847 29.1 29.8 31.7 9.4 2.3

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,362 16.2 19.6 40.9 23.3 4.8

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,679 11.0 13.3 32.7 43.1 8.1

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,756 7.6 10.5 25.8 56.1 12.4

65 years and older. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,532 5.3 6.9 21.2 66.8 19.6

MARITAL STATUS

Married. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118,860 12.9 16.2 32.2 38.7 6.7

 Spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116,604 12.6 16.2 32.3 39.0 6.8

 Spouse absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,255 30.8 19.9 27.1 22.2 2.8

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,524 7.2 9.4 22.7 60.8 15.9

Separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,213 30.6 20.8 27.9 20.7 2.7

Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,091 19.5 19.9 32.1 28.6 4.6

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59,517 22.7 18.1 27.0 32.2 4.5

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177,700 15.4 16.4 29.9 38.2 6.3

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153,145 14.5 15.8 29.4 40.4 6.9

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,520 19.5 18.3 30.4 31.8 4.8

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,329 20.1 19.9 32.5 27.6 4.3

All other races alone or in combination . . . . 6,656 22.2 17.9 30.6 29.3 4.4

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,483 21.9 20.5 33.4 24.2 4.0

NATIVITY AND CITIZENSHIP

Native-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188,709 15.4 16.1 29.5 39.1 6.5

Foreign-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,494 22.6 21.8 34.3 21.4 3.6

 Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,525 13.5 15.7 36.5 34.3 6.2

 Noncitizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,969 30.2 26.8 32.4 10.6 2.3

OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18

Not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134,595 16.0 14.8 25.7 43.5 7.5

Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81,609 16.7 20.1 37.4 25.8 4.6

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . . . 36,523 16.6 16.6 30.2 36.7 5.9

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,549 15.8 15.4 28.1 40.7 6.9

Some college/associate’s degree . . . . . . . . 71,436 16.7 16.8 30.2 36.3 5.8

Bachelor’s degree or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,696 15.9 18.7 32.3 33.1 5.3

HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED MEANS-

 TESTED BENEFITS

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,220 21.3 19.8 32.2 26.7 4.2

No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159,983 14.5 15.7 29.4 40.4 6.9

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME2

Under $25,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,840 19.5 17.1 26.4 37.0 5.3

$25,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,327 18.2 17.3 29.1 35.4 5.4

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,941 15.7 17.6 31.3 35.5 5.8

$75,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67,095 12.8 15.7 32.7 38.9 6.8

REGION OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,351 12.5 14.0 29.5 44.0 7.9

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,283 15.2 16.4 28.7 39.7 6.7

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77,494 17.5 17.3 30.3 34.9 5.5

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,076 18.5 18.7 31.8 31.1 4.9

HOUSING TENURE OF CURRENT 

 RESIDENCE

Owner-occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155,979 9.4 13.5 31.5 45.7 8.7

Renter-occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,225 34.1 25.5 26.6 13.9 2.0

 See footnotes at end of table. 
8 U.S. Census Bureau

Factors Associated With 

Duration

Age is one factor consistently associated with duration of residence. 

The longest median duration of 

current residence among the age 

categories was for people 65 years 

and older, at 19.6 years, as shown 

in Table 4. For marital status, the 

duration of current residence for 

people who were widowed was 

more than twice that of those who 

were married, spouse present (15.9 

years compared with 6.8 years). 

This is not unexpected, as 76 

percent of widowed people are 65 

years and older, while only 16 percent of people who were married 

with a spouse present are 65 years 

and older.11

The duration of current residence 

was longer for people who lived 

in households without their own 

children under age 18 (7.5 years) 

than for households with their own 

children (4.6 years). Prior research 

has indicated that the presence of 

children constrains a household’s 

mobility and that larger families and families with school-age 

children move less frequently than 

families without children.12 The 

lower median duration results for 

families with their own children in 

the SIPP data are likely associated 

with the age of the people; people 

in the sample without their own 

children in the current housing unit 

tended to be older, and in general, median duration of residence 

increases with age. 

Characteristics of region and type 

of residence were also associated 

with longer durations. The 

Northeast region of the United 

States had the longest median 

duration of current residence 

(7.9 years) of all regions. This 

region had both the lowest proportion of people who had lived in current residence under 1 year (12.5 

percent) and the highest proportion 

of people who had lived in their 

current residence at least 10 years 

(44 percent). Forty-three percent of 

people who currently lived in nonmetropolitan areas had a current 

residential duration of 120 months 

or more, compared with about 36 

percent of people in metropolitan 

areas. Nonmetropolitan areas had 

statistically longer durations in residence than metropolitan areas (7.5 

years compared with 5.7 years). 

Forty percent of non-Hispanic 

Whites (and 38 percent of all 

Whites) had lived in their current 

residences 10 years or longer, compared with 32 percent of Blacks, 28 

percent of Asians, and 24 percent 

of Hispanics. Natives were more 

likely to have lived in their current residences for 10 years or 

more (39 percent) than were the 

foreign-born (21 percent). Citizenship status is a factor in mobility 

for the foreign-born population. 

The median duration in current 

residence for noncitizens was 2.3 

Table 4. 

Duration of Current Residence for People 15 Years and Older by Selected 

Characteristics, 2004—Con.

Characteristic Total, 15 years 

and older

Percent distribution Median years 

in current 

residence1

Fewer than 12 

months

12 to 35 

months

36 to 119 

months

120 months or 

more

TYPE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179,892 16.6 17.3 30.4 35.7 5.7

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,312 14.6 14.1 28.8 42.5 7.5

TYPE OF MOVE (FROM PREVIOUS

 RESIDENCE)

Always lived here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,658 (X) (X) (X) 100.0 23.8

Same state, same county . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146,437 17.0 17.4 31.8 33.8 5.5

Same state, different county . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,603 16.6 18.2 32.3 32.9 5.3

Different state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,509 17.7 19.0 31.7 31.6 5.0

From abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,997 24.5 21.4 30.7 23.4 3.3

(X) Not applicable.

1

The median duration lived in current residence in years is calculated by dividing the median duration in months by 12..

2

The annual income per household is based on the annualized average of the monthly incomes for households during the 4 months of the second wave of the 

SIPP 2004 panel. 

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a month and year they began living in their current residence.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

11 These statistics are from the 2004 

American Community Survey data, available 

at <factfi nder.census.gov/home/saff /main

.html?_lang=en>.

12 For examples of this type of research, 

see:

 Davanzo, J. (1977). Why Families Move: A 

Model of the Geographic Mobility of Married 

Couples. Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Offi ce.

 Hagan, J., R. Macmillan, and B. Wheaton 

(1996). “The Life Course Eff ects of Family 

Migration on Children.” American Sociological 

Review 61:368–85.

 Long, L. (1972). “The Infl uence of Number 

and Ages of Children on Residential Mobility.” 

Demography 9:271–82.

 Shauman, K., and Y. Xie (1996). “Geographic Mobility of Scientists: Sex Diff erence and Family Constraints.” Demography

33:455–68.
U.S. Census Bureau 9

years, compared with 6.2 years for 

naturalized citizens. Table 4 shows 

that naturalized citizens were more 

than three times as likely as were 

noncitizens to have resided in their 

current home 10 years or longer 

(34 percent vs. 11 percent).

Homeownership status, or tenure, 

is one of the strongest predictors 

of how frequently people move. 

People who lived in renter-occupied 

housing were much more mobile 

than those in owner-occupied 

housing units.13 People in rental 

housing had lived in their current residence for a median duration of 2.0 years, compared with 

8.7 years for people who lived in 

owner-occupied housing units. This 

was the lowest duration of current 

residence for all group characteristics shown in Table 4. However, 

the median length of residence 

increased with age for people 25 

years and older living in renteroccupied units (shown in Table 5). 

Renters who were 65 years and 

older had the highest median, 6.4 

years, compared with 2.0 years for 

all renters.

There was also a similar pattern 

in the median duration by age for 

people in owner-occupied housing units, with a steady increase 

in duration starting with the 25- to 

29-year-old age group. Younger 

people, those under age 25, had 

higher median durations in owneroccupied housing compared with 

the population aged 25 to 34, and 

they were more often living in 

housing owned by someone older, 

such as a parent or guardian. Apart 

from people currently living in 

renter-occupied housing units, the 

lowest calculated median duration in current residence was 2.3 

years, for people aged 25 to 34. 

Two marital statuses, married with 

spouse absent and separated, were 

also associated with low durations 

in current residence (2.8 years and 

2.7 years, respectively). 

The patterns of tenure by race 

and Hispanic origin were similar 

to those for the entire population. 

Owners in each group had longer 

median durations than renters 

(Table 5). The median durations for 

White owners (8.8 years) and Black 

owners (8.8 years) were not statistically diff erent, although nonHispanic White owners (9.3 years) 

did diff er signifi cantly from Black 

owners. Hispanics and Asians who 

lived in owner-occupied housing 

units had shorter median durations 

—6.2 and 6.3 years, respectively—

than Whites and Blacks. For renters, all race groups had a similar 

median of about 2 years in renteroccupied housing units. 

TENURE OF CURRENT 

RESIDENCE

For this report, a housing unit was 

considered to be owner-occupied 

if the owner or a co-owner lived 

in the home, including homes that 

were mortgaged; all other housing units were classifi ed as renteroccupied, including units that were 

rented for cash rent and those that 

may have been occupied without 

the payment of cash rent. 

13 U.S. Census Bureau (2005). “Geographical Mobility: 2004 Detailed Tables” shows 

that 29.8 percent of those living in renteroccupied units moved between March 2003 

and March 2004, compared to 7.3 percent of 

those living in owner-occupied housing units. 

Table 5. 

Median Duration (in Years) of Current Residence for People 15 Years and Older by Age, 

Race, Hispanic Origin, and Current Tenure, 2004

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and older

Current housing tenure

Owner-occupied Renter-occupied

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 8.7 2.0

AGE AT TIME OF SURVEY

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 9.2 2.0

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 7.7 0.9

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 2.7 1.2

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 3.4 1.7

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 5.8 2.3

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 9.8 3.3

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.4 14.8 4.0

65 years and older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.6 24.7 6.4

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 8.8 1.9

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 9.3 1.9

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 8.8 2.4

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 6.3 2.2

All other races, alone or in combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 7.3 1.8

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 6.2 2.2

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a month and year they began living in their current residence.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.
10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 6. 

Current Housing Tenure for People 15 Years and Older by Selected Characteristics, 

2004

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and older

Current housing tenure

Percent owner-occupied Percent renter-occupied

 Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227,162 71.5 28.5

SEX

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109,663 71.8 28.2

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117,499 71.3 28.7

AGE

15 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,458 62.0 38.0

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,838 55.2 44.8

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,168 72.1 27.9

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,225 78.7 21.4

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,905 83.2 16.8

65 years and older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,568 82.2 17.8

MARITAL STATUS

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121,070 81.6 18.4

 Spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118,410 82.4 17.6

 Spouse absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,660 45.9 54.1

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,053 74.1 25.9

Separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,640 42.3 57.7

Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,964 61.8 38.2

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,434 57.7 42.3

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185,589 75.0 25.0

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,889 78.4 21.6

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,641 52.2 47.8

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,968 62.9 37.2

All other races alone or in combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,964 63.6 36.5

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,762 54.1 45.9

NATIVITY AND CITIZENSHIP

Native-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196,631 74.1 25.9

Foreign-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,530 55.2 44.8

 Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,848 71.3 28.7

 Noncitizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,682 41.8 58.3

OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18

Not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142,834 71.5 28.5

Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84,328 71.6 28.4

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,138 61.5 38.5

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62,223 69.7 30.3

Some college/associate’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74,382 72.8 27.3

Bachelor’s degree or more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,419 79.7 20.3

HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,494 51.3 48.7

No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166,668 78.9 21.1

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME1

Under $25,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,106 50.4 49.6

$25,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,357 65.7 34.3

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,744 76.7 23.3

$75,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69,955 88.1 11.9

REGION OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,316 67.2 32.8

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,091 76.8 23.2

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81,207 73.6 26.4

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,548 66.7 33.3

TYPE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189,765 70.5 29.5

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,396 76.9 23.1

 See footnotes at end of table. 
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Most People Live in OwnerOccupied Housing Units

Table 6 shows that, of all people, 

about 71.5 percent currently lived 

in owner-occupied housing and 

29.5 percent lived in renteroccupied units.14 The percentage of people that lived in owneroccupied housing units increased 

steadily from 55 percent of those 

25 to 34 years old to over 80 percent of people 55 years and older. 

The relatively high proportion of 

people aged 15 to 24 that lived in 

owner-occupied housing (62 percent) refl ects the fact that many of 

these young people were living in 

homes that were owned by another 

individual in the survey, usually 

their parents.

Among people who were married with their spouse present, 82 

percent lived in owner-occupied 

housing, compared with 58 percent 

of never-married people. The data 

also show that marriage transitions 

aff ect the tenure status at current 

residence. Widowed people were 

more likely to be in an owneroccupied housing unit than people 

who were divorced or separated. 

Divorced, separated, and marriedspouse-absent people showed 

high rates of residence in renteroccupied housing units, more like 

the rates for never-married people 

than for married people with their 

spouse present. Households with 

their own children under age 18 

were no more likely to be living in 

owner-occupied housing units than 

were households without their own 

children under age 18.

The higher the level of education, 

the more likely a person was to 

live in an owner-occupied housing 

unit. Among those with a bachelor’s 

degree or higher, 80 percent lived 

in owner-occupied housing units, 

compared with 62 percent of those 

with less than a high school education (Table 6). Similarly, people 

living in households with higher 

income were more likely to live in 

owner-occupied housing units: 88 

percent of those living in households with income of $75,000 or 

more lived in owner-occupied housing, compared with 50 percent of 

those who lived in households with 

income less than $25,000. Nonmetropolitan residents were more 

likely than metropolitan residents 

to live in owner-occupied housing 

units (77 percent and 71 percent, 

respectively).

As shown earlier, the length of residence varied by race and Hispanic 

origin. Some of this variation can 

be explained by diff erences in rates 

of homeownership by race and 

Hispanic origin. Since owners have 

longer durations of residence than 

renters, a group with a higher percentage of people living in owneroccupied units should have longer 

durations of residence than a group 

with a higher percentage of renters. 

For most groups in the SIPP 2004 

data, this relationship appeared to 

hold true. 

Seventy-eight percent of nonHispanic Whites (and 75 percent of 

all Whites) lived in owner-occupied 

units, compared with 52 percent of 

Blacks. Table 5 shows that nonHispanic Whites had longer median 

durations in current residence than 

Blacks (6.9 years and 4.8 years, 

respectively). A lower proportion 

of Hispanics (about 54 percent) 

than Whites or Blacks were living 

in owner-occupied housing units, 

and Hispanics had lower median 

duration in current residence (4.0 

years). Asians had a higher proportion that lived in owner-occupied 

housing units (about 63 percent) 

than either Blacks or Hispanics, and 

Asians’ median duration in current 

residence, 4.4 years, was higher 

than that of Hispanics, 4.0 years.

Table 6. 

Current Housing Tenure for People 15 Years and Older by Selected Characteristics, 

2004

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and older

Current housing tenure

Percent owner-occupied Percent renter-occupied

TYPE OF MOVE (FROM PREVIOUS RESIDENCE)

Always lived here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,658 85.2 14.8

Same state, same county . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155,099 69.9 30.2

Same state, different county . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,707 76.5 23.5

Different state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,422 73.4 26.6

From abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,276 47.8 52.2

1

The annual income per household is based on the annualized average of the monthly incomes for households during the 4 months of the second wave of the 

SIPP 2004 panel. 

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a value for tenure of current residence. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

—Con.

14 The tenure percentages reported here 

are not directly comparable with those in 

other Census Bureau surveys such as the 

American Housing Survey (AHS). The SIPP 

analysis is person-based, while the AHS is 

housing-unit-based, which leads to diff ering 

results. For example, the 2005 AHS reported 

that 68.8 percent of occupied housing units 

were owner occupied, versus 71.5 percent of 

people in the 2004 SIPP (and 67.5 percent of 

SIPP households) who lived in owner-occupied 

units. AHS fi gures from <www.census.gov

/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs05/ahs05

.html>.
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 7. 

Lifetime Move Status for People 15 Years and Older by Selected Characteristics, 

2004

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and older

Percent distribution

Never moved Moved at least once

 Total (in thousands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227,162 5.1 94.9

SEX

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109,663 53.6 48.0

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117,499 46.4 52.0

AGE

15 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,458 54.3 15.8

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,838 12.0 17.4

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,168 10.7 19.5

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,225 8.8 18.7

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,905 5.6 13.1

65 years and older. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,568 8.6 15.6

MARITAL STATUS

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121,070 18.4 55.2

 Spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118,410 17.5 54.0

 Spouse absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,660 1.0 1.2

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,053 3.6 6.3

Separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,640 1.3 2.1

Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,964 4.9 10.4

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,434 71.8 26.0

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185,589 79.2 81.8

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,889 68.7 70.0

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,641 16.5 11.5

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,968 1.6 3.6

All other races alone or in combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,964 2.7 3.1

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,762 11.2 12.7

NATIVITY AND CITIZENSHIP

Native-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196,631 100.0 85.8

Foreign-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,530 (X) 14.2

 Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,848 (X) 6.4

 Noncitizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,682 (X) 7.7

OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18

Not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142,834 60.0 63.0

Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84,328 40.0 37.0

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,138 33.2 16.4

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62,223 29.0 27.3

Some college/associate’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74,382 27.2 33.1

Bachelor’s degree or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,419 10.6 23.3

HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,494 28.6 26.5

No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166,668 71.4 73.5

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME1

Under $25,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,106 20.3 21.7

$25,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,357 25.0 27.1

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,744 18.7 20.7

$75,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69,955 36.0 30.5

REGION OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,316 25.4 18.7

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,091 22.6 22.5

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81,207 38.0 35.6

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,548 14.0 23.2

HOUSING TENURE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Owner-occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162,519 85.2 70.8

Renter-occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,643 14.8 29.2

 See footnotes at end of table. 
U.S. Census Bureau 13

CHARACTERISTICS OF 

PEOPLE WITH NO LIFETIME 

MOVES

The 2004 SIPP data showed that 5 

percent of the population 15 years 

and older had never moved in their 

lifetime. Table 7 shows selected 

characteristics of the 15 years and 

older population by the number of 

lifetime moves. More than half of 

the nonmovers were under age 25, 

and 72 percent were never married. Only 6 percent of nonmovers 

were between 55 and 64 years old, 

while 9 percent of nonmovers were 

65 years or older. People who had 

never moved had lower levels of 

education: 11 percent of the nonmovers had earned at least a bachelor’s degree compared with 23 

percent of people with at least one 

lifetime move. Nonmovers were 

more likely to be Black (17 percent) 

than were movers (12 percent), 

while at least twice the proportion 

of people who had moved at least 

once (3.6 percent) were Asian compared with those with no lifetime 

moves (1.3 percent).

Compared to movers, nonmovers 

more often lived in the Northeast 

region of the United States (25.4 

percent), and less often lived in the 

Western portion of the country (14 

percent). Movers less often lived 

in metropolitan areas (16 percent) 

than did nonmovers (20 percent). 

A larger percentage of people with 

no lifetime moves (85 percent) 

lived in owner-occupied residences 

compared with those who moved 

at least once (71 percent).

TENURE CHANGES WITH 

MOST RECENT MOVE

This section of the report provides information about changes 

in housing tenure that accompany 

moves from a previous to a current residence. The data are shown 

for people who reported (1) both 

a current and a previous place of 

residence and (2) tenure at each 

residence. As Table 8 shows, 61 

percent had the same tenure status 

at their previous and their current 

residences (38 percent were owners and 23 percent were renters 

at both residences). The smallest 

group (7 percent) was comprised of 

people who were previously in an 

owner-occupied unit but moved to 

a rental unit. Thirty-two percent of 

those who moved said they were 

renters in their previous residence 

but were now homeowners.

Continuing to Rent

About 23 percent of the population 

moved between renter-occupied 

housing units. A large proportion 

of the population in this group was 

aged 15 to 24 (34 percent) and 

aged 25 to 34 (37 percent). Moving between rented units declined 

as age increased. Marital status 

was also related to the likelihood 

of continuing to rent after a move. 

The people most likely to remain 

in renter-occupied housing units 

were married with their spouse 

absent or separated (44 and 45 

percent, respectively). Individuals 

who were never married or who 

were divorced (38 percent and 29 

percent, respectively) were both 

more likely than married-spousepresent individuals (14 percent) to 

remain in renter-occupied housing 

units after a move.

Among the foreign-born population, the patterns were diff erent for 

naturalized citizens than for noncitizens. Naturalized citizens were 

slightly more likely to remain renting after a move than were natives 

(25 percent and 20 percent, respectively). In comparison, noncitizens 

were the most likely (50 percent) 

to remain renters. Within the race 

and Hispanic origin groups, Blacks 

and Hispanics were similarly (41 

percent) likely to have moved from 

one renter-occupied housing unit to 

another, a higher percentage than 

other groups.

Lower household income, lower 

educational attainment, metropolitan residence, and receipt of 

means-tested benefi ts were all 

associated with remaining in a 

renter-occupied housing unit after 

a move. A larger proportion of 

moves from abroad consisted of 

people renting in both their previous and their current residences 

Table 7. 

Lifetime Move Status for People 15 Years and Older by Selected Characteristics, 

2004

Characteristic

Total, 15 years and older

Percent distribution

Never moved Moved at least once

TYPE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189,765 79.7 83.7

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,396 20.3 16.3

1

The annual income per household is based on the annualized average of the monthly incomes for households during the 4 months of the second wave of the 

SIPP 2004 panel. 

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a value for tenure of current residence. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

—Con.
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 8. 

Change in Housing Tenure for Most Recent Move for People 15 Years and Older by 

Selected Characteristics, 2004

Characteristic Total, 15 years 

and older

Percent distribution

Renter to 

renter

Renter to 

owner

Owner to 

owner

Owner to 

renter

 Total (in thousands). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215,504 22.7 32.4 38.4 6.5

SEX

Male. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103,415 22.8 32.7 38.3 6.2

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112,089 22.6 32.2 38.5 6.8

AGE

15 to 24 years1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,126 33.5 29.5 27.5 9.5

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,435 37.3 33.0 21.2 8.4

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,926 22.6 36.3 35.7 5.4

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,202 16.6 34.5 44.0 4.8

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,252 12.7 32.1 51.1 4.1

65 years and older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,562 11.1 27.5 54.6 6.9

MARITAL STATUS

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118,921 14.4 35.2 46.3 4.1

 Spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116,372 13.8 35.5 46.8 3.9

 Spouse absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,550 44.0 22.1 22.4 11.6

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,634 15.7 26.6 47.1 10.6

Separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,487 44.6 25.2 16.7 13.4

Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,398 29.2 29.9 31.4 9.5

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,064 37.5 29.4 24.1 9.0

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176,358 19.4 32.6 41.7 6.3

 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150,882 15.9 32.2 45.5 6.4

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,715 41.2 30.3 20.4 8.1

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,782 30.8 36.9 25.5 6.9

All other races alone or in combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,649 30.0 30.7 31.9 7.3

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,457 41.0 34.4 18.8 5.8

NATIVITY AND CITIZENSHIP

Native-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184,973 20.0 32.2 41.2 6.6

Foreign-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,530 38.6 33.7 21.4 6.3

 Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,848 24.5 39.3 32.1 4.2

 Noncitizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,682 50.2 29.1 12.6 8.0

OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18

Not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135,838 21.9 30.8 40.1 7.3

Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79,665 23.9 35.2 35.6 5.3

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,272 34.1 31.3 27.7 6.9

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,837 24.0 31.8 37.0 7.2

Some college/associate’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71,215 20.9 32.4 39.7 7.0

Bachelor’s degree or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,179 15.6 33.9 45.7 4.9

HOUSEHOLD RECEIVED MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,157 41.3 29.5 20.6 8.6

No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,347 15.9 33.5 44.8 5.8

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME2

Under $25,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,738 40.2 22.1 27.1 10.6

$25,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,447 27.1 32.1 33.0 7.8

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,563 18.5 37.0 39.0 5.5

$75,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65,755 9.1 36.9 50.8 3.2

REGION OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,357 27.4 32.7 33.6 6.3

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,451 17.1 32.1 44.1 6.7

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76,783 20.6 32.4 40.4 6.6

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,912 27.5 32.5 33.6 6.5

TYPE OF CURRENT RESIDENCE

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180,473 23.9 32.6 37.2 6.4

Nonmetropolitan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,031 16.5 31.3 44.8 7.4

 See footnotes at end of table. 
U.S. Census Bureau 15

(28 percent) than was the case 

for moves that took place over a 

shorter distance, such as moves 

between diff erent counties within 

a state (17 percent). Finally, there 

were also diff erences by region. 

About 27 percent of movers who 

lived in the Northeast and West 

remained renters, while this was 

true for about 17 percent of 

Midwesterners and 21 percent of 

Southerners.

Moving From Renter-Occupied 

to Owner-Occupied Units

Moves involving a transition from 

a renter-occupied unit to an owneroccupied one accounted for 32 percent of all moves. As age increased, 

the proportion of people changing 

to ownership increased, with a 

peak in the 35- to 44-year-old age 

group, when 36 percent of the 

movers went from renting to owning. The proportion then declined 

with age, primarily because most 

people over age 45 had already 

experienced a prior transition from 

renting to owning that occurred 

before the move identifi ed in this 

report.

The rate of this transition varied 

by race and Hispanic origin, with 

Asians more often making this 

transition (37 percent) than the 

other groups. People with a bachelor’s degree were more likely to 

have moved from renting to owning than those with lower levels 

of educational attainment. Married 

people with their spouse present 

were more likely (36 percent) than 

all other marital-status groups to 

move from a renter-occupied housing unit to an owner-occupied one.

Households with their own children 

under age 18 were somewhat more 

likely than households without 

their own children to move from a 

renter- to an owner-occupied housing unit (35 percent and 31 percent, respectively). The rates of this 

transition for native movers and 

foreign-born movers were similar; 

however, within the foreign-born 

population, naturalized citizens 

were more likely to move from 

renter-occupied to owner-occupied 

housing units (39 percent) than 

were noncitizens (29 percent).

Household income was also 

associated with this tenure shift. 

Residents with annual household 

incomes of $50,000 or more 

were more likely than those with 

incomes of less than $25,000 (37 

percent and 22 percent, respectively) to move from a renteroccupied housing unit to an owneroccupied one. This pattern was 

also evident among households 

receiving means-tested benefi ts, 

which were less likely (30 percent) 

than those not receiving benefi ts 

(34 percent) to switch to an owneroccupied housing unit. Regional 

diff erences were not apparent here, 

with between 32 and 33 percent 

of residents of all regions moving 

from a rental to an owned unit.

Continuing to Own

Among movers who did not change 

tenure status when they moved, 

most moved from one owneroccupied unit to another (38 percent of movers). From 44 percent 

to 55 percent of the population 45 

years and older maintained owneroccupied status, compared with 

21 percent to 36 percent of people 

under age 45. Both married-spousepresent people and widowed 

people (47 percent each) were more 

likely to move between owneroccupied units than were separated, divorced, or never-married 

people (17 percent, 31 percent, and 

24 percent, respectively).

Race, Hispanic origin, nativity, 

and citizenship were associated 

with the tenure status of the 

person’s current residence. NonHispanic White movers were more 

likely (46 percent) to remain in an 

Table 8. 

Change in Housing Tenure for Most Recent Move for People 15 Years and Older by 

Selected Characteristics, 2004

Characteristic Total, 15 years 

and older

Percent distribution

Renter to 

renter

Renter to 

owner

Owner to 

owner

Owner to 

renter

TYPE OF MOVE (FROM PREVIOUS RESIDENCE)

Same state, same county. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155,099 24.4 34.0 35.9 5.7

Same state, different county . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,707 16.7 31.4 45.1 6.9

Different state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,422 18.3 24.3 49.1 8.3

From abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,276 28.4 27.0 20.8 23.8

1

Many of the respondents in the 15-to-24 population resided with older respondents for whom a tenure change occurred. The reported tenure change is at the 

household level.

2

The annual income per household is based on the annualized average of the monthly incomes for households during the 4 months of the second wave of the 

SIPP 2004 panel. 

Note: The data in this table are for people who reported a value for tenure of both current and previous residence.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2004 Panel, Wave 2 Migration Topical Module.

—Con.
16 U.S. Census Bureau

owner-occupied housing unit than 

were the other race and Hispanicorigin groups. The native population was about twice as likely to 

remain in an owner-occupied housing unit (41 percent) as was the foreign-born population (21 percent). 

Citizenship of the foreign-born 

population was associated with 

tenure, as 32 percent of naturalized 

citizens moved between owneroccupied dwellings compared with 

13 percent of noncitizens.

People living in nonmetropolitan areas who moved were more 

likely to have moved from one 

owner-occupied unit to another (45 

percent) than were those living in 

a metropolitan area (37 percent). 

Maintaining ownership between 

moves also varied by region of the 

country. Residents in the Midwest 

(44 percent) were more likely than 

were those in the Northeast or the 

South (34 percent each) to have 

moved between owner-occupied 

housing units. People moving to a 

diff erent county within the same 

state (45 percent) or between 

diff erent states (49 percent) were 

more likely to have moved between 

owner-occupied dwellings than 

those moving within the same 

county (36 percent) or from abroad 

(21 percent).

Moving From Owner-Occupied 

to Renter-Occupied Units

The least common transition 

involved moving from owning to 

renting a housing unit—only 7 percent of movers made this type of 

change. Among people of all ages, 

the likelihood of this transition was 

most frequent for the population 

15 to 24 years old (10 percent), 

possibly because they had left a 

parental home. Compared with 

all other marital statuses, married 

people with their spouse present 

were the least likely to change from 

an owner-occupied to a renter-occupied unit (4 percent). Situations 

that involved the absence of a 

spouse—married-spouse-absent 

(12 percent), widowed (11 percent), separated (13 percent), and 

divorced (10 percent)—had two to 

three times the level of transition 

from owning to renting compared 

with people who were married with 

their spouse present. 

People with a bachelor’s degree or 

more education were less likely (5 

percent) than those with less than 

a high school degree (7 percent) to 

move from an owned to a rented 

housing unit. This pattern was also 

evident when looking at household income groups. As annual 

income of a household increased, 

its likelihood of moving from 

an owner-occupied to a renteroccupied housing unit decreased. 

Households with annual income 

of $75,000 or more (3 percent) 

were less likely than households 

with income of less than $25,000 

(11 percent) to make this tenure 

transition. Noncitizens more often 

made this housing unit transition (8 

percent) than naturalized citizens 

(4 percent). People who moved 

from abroad were more likely (24 

percent) to have moved from an 

owner-occupied unit to a renteroccupied unit, compared with 

people moving shorter distances, 

such as intracounty and intercounty 

moves within the same state (6 percent and 7 percent, respectively). 

There were no signifi cant regional 

diff erences for this tenure shift.

SUMMARY

This report provides a detailed 

overview of three important characteristics of moving in the United 

States: seasonality of a move, 

length of time in residence, and 

homeownership status or tenure of 

residence. The collection of data in 

the Survey of Income and Program 

Participation allows the identifi cation of detailed data on season and 

month of moves and changes in 

tenure with most recent move, analyzed along an array of social and 

demographic characteristics.

Nearly one-third of the most recent 

moves reported by people 15 

years and older occurred during 

the summer months (June, July, 

and August). The month with the 

single highest proportion of moves 

reported by people was June, at 

12.2 percent. Moves from abroad 

occurred more often in the winter 

compared with domestic moves 

of any type. Summer was also the 

most concentrated time for moving 

for people living in the Northeast 

and Midwest regions of the United 

States. Data on families with their 

own children under age 18 showed 

that they moved less often during 

the beginning of the school year 

than families without their own 

children.

The median time in current residence reported by people 15 years 

and older was 5.9 years. About 

37 percent of the population lived 

in the same house for 10 years or 

longer. Renters had shorter durations of residence than homeowners did. Duration of residence tends 

to increase with age, regardless 

of tenure of residence, although 

people in the youngest age group 

(15 to 19) tend to have longer 

durations than do people 20 to 34 

years old. The Northeast region of 

the United States had the longest 

median duration of residence. 

Duration of residence was longer 

for nonmetropolitan areas compared with metropolitan areas. 

Overall, 71.5 percent of people 

currently lived in owner-occupied 

housing units. The proportion of 

the people living in owner-occupied 

housing units tended to increase 

with age. People who were married or widowed more often owned 

their current residence than did 

people with other marital statuses. 
U.S. Census Bureau 17

Higher levels of education and 

higher incomes increased the likelihood of living in an owner-occupied 

unit. 

Only 5 percent of the population 

reported no moves in their lifetime. More than 50 percent of the 

nonmovers were under age 25, and 

72 percent were never married. 

Most were living in owner-occupied 

housing units. A much smaller 

proportion of those who had never 

moved lived in the western region 

of the country compared with those 

who had moved. Blacks made up 

a disproportionate share of those 

people who had never moved.

The data available for tenure 

changes with the most recent move 

showed that 61 percent had the 

same tenure status at their previous and current residences. The 

lowest proportion making a tenure 

change was the people who moved 

from owner-occupied to renteroccupied, at 7 percent. Thirty-two 

percent of people said they had 

made the transition from renting 

to owning with their most recent 

move.

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the 

population universe) in the 2004 

Survey of Income and Program 

Participation (SIPP) is the civilian 

noninstitutionalized population 

living in the United States. The SIPP 

is a longitudinal survey conducted 

at 4-month intervals. The data in 

this report were collected from 

June through September of 2004 in 

the second wave (interview) of the 

2004 SIPP. The data highlighted in 

this report come primarily from the 

main survey and the migration history topical module that included 

questions for all people 15 years 

and older, on location, duration, 

and tenure of previous and current 

residences. Other items included 

in the module are place of birth, 

citizenship, nativity, year of entry, 

and immigration status. Although 

the main focus of the SIPP is information on labor force participation, 

jobs, income, and participation 

in federal assistance programs, 

information on other topics, such 

as migration, is also collected in 

topical modules on a rotating basis. 

The institutionalized population, 

which is excluded from the population universe, is composed primarily of the population in correctional 

institutions and nursing homes (91 

percent of the 4.1 million institutionalized population in Census 

2000).

ACCURACY OF THE DATA

Statistics from surveys are subject 

to sampling and nonsampling error. 

All comparisons presented in this 

report have taken sampling error 

into account and are signifi cant 

at the 90 percent confi dence level 

unless otherwise noted. This means 

the 90 percent confi dence interval for the diff erence between the 

estimates being compared does not 

include zero. Nonsampling errors 

in surveys may be attributed to a 

variety of sources, such as how the 

survey was designed, how people 

interpret questions, how able and 

willing people are to provide correct answers, and how accurately 

answers are coded and classifi ed. 

To minimize these errors, the 

Census Bureau employs quality control procedures during all 

stages of the production process, 

including the design of surveys, the 

wording of questions, review of the 

work of interviewers and coders, 

and statistical review of reports. 

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) weighting 

procedure uses ratio estimation, 

whereby sample estimates are 

adjusted to independent estimates 

of the national population by age, 

race, sex, and Hispanic origin. This 

weighting partially corrects for bias 

due to undercoverage, but biases 

may still be present when people 

who are missed by the survey 

diff er from those interviewed in 

ways other than age, race, sex, and 

Hispanic origin. All of these considerations aff ect comparisons across 

diff erent surveys or data sources. 

Further information on the source 

of the data and accuracy of the estimates, including standard errors 

and confi dence intervals, is available at <www.census.gov/sipp

/sourceac/S&A04_W1toW12(S&A-9)

.pdf>, or contact Stephen Clark of 

the Census Bureau’s Demographic 

Statistical Methods Division via 

e-mail at <stephen.clark@census

.gov>.

Additional information on the SIPP 

can be found at the following Web 

sites: <www.census.gov/sipp

/index.html> (the main SIPP Web 

site), <www.census.gov/sipp

/workpapr/wp230.pdf> (SIPP Quality Profi le), and <www.census.gov

/sipp/usrguide/sipp2001.pdf> 

(SIPP User’s Guide).

MORE INFORMATION

The report is available on the 

Internet at <www.census.gov>; 

search for migration data by clicking on the “Subjects A–Z” button 

and select ‘‘Migration/Geographic 

Mobility’’ under “M.” Additional 

tables showing historical data from 

the 1996 and 2001 SIPP Migration 

History Topical Modules are also 

available at the same Web site. 

CONTACTS

Additional migration information 

may be obtained from the authors 

of this report, who can be contacted in the U.S. Census Bureau 

Journey to Work and Migration Statistics Branch at (301) 763-2454 or 

by e-mail at: <matthew.c.marlay

@census.gov>.
18 U.S. Census Bureau

USER COMMENTS

The Census Bureau welcomes 

the comments and advice of data 

and report users. If you have any 

suggestions or comments, please 

e-mail <hhes@census.gov> or write 

to:

Chief, Household and Housing 

 Economics Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233

SUGGESTED CITATION

Marlay, Matthew C., and Alison K. 

Fields (2010). Seasonality of Moves 

and the Duration and Tenure of 

Residence: 2004. Current Population Reports, P70-122. U.S. Census 

Bureau, Washington, DC.

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Washington, DC 20233

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