Analyzing U.S. Household Migration Patterns

This housing and movement study surveys the geographical characteristics of migration to identify patterns between various housing types and levels in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta, Georgia—although the analysis can be performed on any area of the United States. The migration database provides the location for each move, rather than an aggregation of county-to-county movement.

This project uses IDT Group’s U.S. Migration Database to geographically query migration movements and obtain demographic characteristics. The data was subdivided into several cohorts (including housing value, housing type, and year built) and kernel density methods were applied to each cohort to locate clusters and unique patterns. A series of maps was created to illustrate the differences among the geographical characteristics for each household movement. The results clearly illustrate areas with significant activity as related to migration origin or destination. In Cobb County, this study reveals a general shift (origin to destination) toward the west for housing values between $100,000 and $199,999. Housing values between $100,000 and $199,999 (red) are more evenly dispersed and have greater access to the interstate system. Housing values between $200,000 and $399,999 (amber) reveal two polarized areas of concentration in the eastern and western portion of the county. These areas are interjected by the interstate system where proximity to transportation access is notably more limited.

Courtesy of Deborah Dennison, GISP.