Understanding migration patterns and population changes is crucial for municipal planning. These fluctuations can profoundly influence market demographics, population size, shifts in demand, and identify project development opportunities. With Placer, you can understand migration patterns in a specific trade area, as well as uncover regional shifts in key demographic attributes to assess changes in demand for different goods and services.

After reading this article, you will be able to answer these questions: 

1. How many people move in and out of an area and which areas see an increase in population, therefore potentially experiencing an increase in demand? 
2. Why people are moving to those specific areas and what advantages or benefits are they trading off in the process of relocating to these communities?
3. How can you assess the demographic characteristics and attributes of individuals migrating to a particular region to understand changes in demand for different goods and services?

Pro Tip: For customers who have purchased Placer’s Migration Trends Report, follow the next steps to gain insights into population movement in the US. The Migration Trends report presents visually and interactively the destinations to which the U.S. population migrated, and the regions they left, revealing macro trends and associated demographic factors that shape local communities and consumer demand. For more information on Migration Trends Report or to request pricing information, click here.

Get started with the following steps:

Step 1: Reveal population migration patterns across the U.S.

a. Navigate to the Advanced Report section, refer to the Migration Reports, and select “Nationwide Overview” to see which regions across the country are experiencing the highest/lowest levels of migration and population change.

b. Reports will default to the last 12 months, but you can set a custom range to the longest time frame (48 months) to help understand macro migration trends. A bubble chart is used to visualize the population size, and also colors (green & red) are used to highlight areas with high and low levels of migration. You can narrow your search to target more specific markets using the filter options: By State, Median HHI, Population % Change, and Population Density.

c. Clicking on any region will open the Migration Analysis report, where you can see the population change metrics and the top origin and destination locations people are migrating from and to. Select the zip code map to take a more granular look and see migration at the zip code level. You can view population trends and select whether to include or exclude seasonal visitors.

Step 2: Compare the demographics & characteristics of the migrating population

a. The Origins/Destination analysis report allows you to see the top regions that are the source of net migration to and from your area of interest, highlighting the most popular routes. You can view the median HHI in those regions to understand the earning potential of the migration population and gauge whether they are statistically more or less affluent than the area they're moving to. For example, if individuals are transitioning from a lower-income area to a region with a higher median HHI, it suggests that the market demands more affordable housing options to accommodate the shift in the demographic composition.

b. Go to the Urbanicity view to learn about shifts from suburban to rural areas or vice versa, as well as from rural areas to urban centers. For instance, if individuals are relocating from cities due to remote work opportunities, it raises questions about where they might choose to reside instead. Clicking on an "Area" type will provide more detailed metrics for each urbanicity category.

c. The Demographics view compares the origin and destination of migration and examines factors such as income and age distribution to determine whether newcomers are statistically younger or older, wealthier or less affluent. This insight is crucial for understanding the changing composition of residents in a particular area and can inform various municipal decisions, from property developments to marketing strategies.

Step 3: Understand migration motivations and trade-offs

c. The Migration Draw Factors report provides insights into the factors that make a certain region attractive for residents or the benefits that are traded off when migrants are moving to a different region. This is helpful when looking at specific areas for more context on aspects that make it desirable and to which demographics of migrants. 

For example, in the example below, people move to Miami, Florida because of weather, walkability, and fit for young professionals, but they trade off housing, cost of living, and fit for families. Click on any zip code on the map to dive deeper and examine draw and trade-off factors when migrating to specific neighborhoods.

‍

‍

‍

‍