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Study: Residents left big metros during pandemic for family

Rick Bowmer/AP

FILE - Rows of homes, in suburban Salt Lake City, on April 13, 2019. Utah is one of two Western states known for rugged landscapes and wide-open spaces that are bucking the trend of sluggish U.S. population growth. The boom there and in Idaho are accompanied by healthy economic expansion, but also concern about strain on infrastructure and soaring housing prices. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

By: Associated Press

Posted at 10:56 AM, May 06, 2021

and last updated 2021-05-06 13:56:22-04

A new study and Census Bureau data show migrants moved out of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas and into smaller ones during the pandemic.

The data released this week shows increased declines in the nation’s densest metros and gains in small cities in the Sun Belt and West.

The study found that many COVID-year migrants weren’t driven by jobs, weather, or even virus fears. Instead, they were motivated by a desire to be closer to family and a new freedom to make it happen because of remote working.

The data adds to an understanding of how the pandemic has changed where and how Americans live.

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Study: Residents left big metros during pandemic for family

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