Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0003-7260-8146

Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

4-2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Economics

Reader 1

David Bjerk

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2026 Jake T Taylor

Abstract

This paper is a descriptive empirical study documenting differential migration patterns by age group spanning the covid-era, using housing inflation as a predictor of interstate migration. To explore this relationship, I used the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series USA (IPUMS) merged with state data from the Zillow Home Value Index to construct a sample of 7.4 million workers aged 25-65 and separated them into three age groups: young (25-35), middle (36-50), and old (51-65). Using OLS regressions with year and state fixed effects, I estimated that from 2018-2019 younger individuals migrated 2.69 percentage points more on average compared to older workers. Over the same pre-covid period, a 10 percentage point increase in housing inflation was associated with young workers being 0.2 percentage points less likely to migrate relative to older workers. From 2021-2023, younger individuals still migrated more than middle and older aged workers, but their differential response to housing inflation became statistically indistinguishable from older age groups. This implies that prior to covid-19, younger workers may have been consistently drawn to fast-growing housing markets in economically vibrant states because of their career opportunities in such places. These results challenge the conventional assumption that rising housing prices push younger workers out of expensive markets.

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