How Many Times Does the Average Person Move in a Lifetime? (2024)

As one of the most mobile countries in the world, Americans are known for their seemingly constant relocations.

So how many times does the average person move in a lifetime?

Whether they’re changing jobs, upsizing their homes or just looking to try on a new neighborhood or dream city, Americans move an average of 11.7 times in their lifetime. In fact, between 2012 and 2013, a total of 35.9 million people aged one year or older moved.

Younger people are likely to move more frequently.

According to the 2007 ACS data, once the average person reaches the age of 18, they are likely to move at least another 9.1 times in their remaining lifetime compared to just 2.7 more moves once a person reaches 45 years old.

"Americans move an average of 11.7 times in their lifetime. A total of 35.9 million people moved between 2012 and 2013."

Why are they moving?

The 2013 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey of the United States Census Bureau chalks most moves up to being housing related, with 48% of moves relating directly to housing. 30.3% of moves were family related, while job relocations made up 19.4%, and “other” was just 2.3% of all American moves.

Upsizing or Downsizing Home

In general, many people move due to a need to upsize or downsize their homes. Whether they are welcoming a growing family or watching their adult children go off to college or their own homes, moving in to larger or smaller houses to accommodate accordingly makes up a majority of U.S. moves.

Job Relocations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,the average American holdshis or her current job for an average of 4.6 years. What this means is that it’s possible that after about five years, a person will land a new job in a new city or state, needing to relocate their home in the process.

Marriage or Retirement

The life changes of marriage or retirement are major causes for relocations. While one person may be just beginning their family, another can be slowing down and focusing more on relaxation. Both of these life events can cause a person to move in to homes more suitable for their needs

Changing Neighborhoods

For a variety of reasons, people may want to change their neighborhoods. Maybe they received a large bump in salary and want to relocate to a local, more upscale neighborhood, or maybe their child ischanging schools. It’s also possible that their current neighborhood is changing either socially or economically, and so moving seems right for them. Regardless of the exact reason, changing neighborhoods is a common motive for American moves.

Once the decision is final – what next?

When a person decides to make one of their 11.7 lifetime moves, the next big question is what happens next? While finding reputable movers should be the top of your priority, comparing moving estimates should be just as high on the list.

With so many moves ahead for the average person, being knowledgeable is vital to a successful relocation process from beginning to end.

How Many Times Does the Average Person Move in a Lifetime? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Times Does the Average Person Move in a Lifetime? ›

According to the United States Census Bureau, the average person in America will move as many as 11.7 times in their life. The reasons why people relocate vary (and we will delve into that topic later on), but here are the main motivators: 48% of moves relate directly to the housing. 30.3% of moves are family-related.

Does the average American move 11.7 times in their lifetime? ›

The last time the Census Bureau calculated this was in 2007, when it found that a typical American will move 11.7 times in their lives. We redid the math using the most recent data (2013 for mobility and 2010 for population estimates) and reached a slightly lower number of 11.3 lifetime moves.

How many times do Americans move in their life? ›

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average person in the United States moves residences more than 11 times in his or her lifetime.

How often do people move in years? ›

Americans are considered to be highly mobile. Each year, tens of millions of people in the US relocate from their place of birth or current residence to another location within the same city, county, state, country or abroad. In fact, statistical data show that the average American moves once every 5 years.

What age group is most likely to move? ›

Young adults ages 18 to 29 are most likely to change their living arrangements, and foreign-born Americans ages 65 and over are less likely to live alone than their native-born counterparts, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released this month.

Is the average American likely to move 12 times in their lifetime? ›

So how many times does the average person move in a lifetime? Whether they're changing jobs, upsizing their homes or just looking to try on a new neighborhood or dream city, Americans move an average of 11.7 times in their lifetime.

How long does the average American live in one place? ›

According to Quora, on average, Americans live in the same house for 9 years (or 3285 days).

How many Americans live until 90? ›

America's population of persons aged 90-and-older has almost tripled since 1980, reaching 1.9 million in 2010 and will continue to increase to more than 7.6 million over the next 40 years, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Do people move more often now? ›

Current mobility rates are half what they were in the 1940s – when one in five Americans moved each year – and have been steadily declining since the mid-1980s. According to U.S. Census data, in the past five years, the annual mover rates and the number of movers fell yearly, despite the national population growth.

Where do Americans move the most? ›

The top three countries for American expats are Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which are all popular for their proximity to the States and lower cost of living.

What age do you move away? ›

While there are a lot of factors involved, the average age when people move out of their parent's home is somewhere between 24 and 27. This makes logical sense – it's after many people have completed college and around the time when most people get married and/or are in a long-term relationship.

What age do people move away? ›

Most people move out of the family home and set up their own place during their late teens to late 20s. Whether or not leaving goes smoothly depends on the reasons you are moving out and the nature of the relationship you have with your family.

How many homes does the average person own in a lifetime? ›

In fact, the average person will own at least three houses in their lifetime. Living in one place for most of your life may or may not be your goal, but if it is, there are things you must do as a homeowner to ensure your home lasts as long as you'd like it to.

Is it normal for a 25 year old to live at home? ›

Shutterstock. Gone are the days when living at home in your 20s was seen as an embarrassing sign of arrested development. Today, 63% of single adults between the ages of 20 and 29 live with their parents, as do just over half of 25- to 29-year-olds.

At what age do Millennials move out? ›

By age 27, 90 percent of young adults in the NLSY97 had moved out of their parents' homes at least once for a period of 3 months or longer. The median age at the time of moving out was about 19 years.

What month do most people move? ›

Peak moving season occurs in the summer, with 80% of all moves in the United States occurring between April and September. Why is summer the busiest time of year to move? While there are several reasons, the main factor is that kids are off from school.

What percentage of Americans move? ›

The percentage of people in the United States who moved in the previous year declined from about 14% to roughly 13%, according to the 2019 and 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates. These data reference where people lived one year prior to 2019 and 2021.

How often does the average family move in the US? ›

According to different data and information, the average American family moves every 5 years. Most of them have parents that are in their 20s and 30s. Also, most families have more kids in those years and that is why they need to find bigger and better homes.

What percentage of people in the US move every year? ›

9.8 percent of Americans move annually. 15.3 million households in America, with an average size of 2.3 family members, move annually. 3 million people move interstate every year in the US. 60 percent of people move during summer - between May and August.

How far does the average American move from home? ›

A new study from researchers at the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University says nearly 60% of young adults – the study measured people at age 26 – live within 10 miles of where they grew up. Eighty percent live within 100 miles.

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