A first look at retirement migration trends in 2000

This brief report takes a look at the preliminary estimates of the number and proportion of migrants over the age of 60 who moved to and from states between 1995 and 2000 and compares these estimates with those who made the same kind of move one decade earlier.

The 2000 census 1-in-100 public-use microdata sample, released in the summer of 2003, and the 1-in-20 sample from the 1990 census, were compared in this analysis. Point estimates of 100% were created for the inflows and outflows for the top 10 states in these two census decades. Net migration was also considered.

The total estimated number of older interstate migrants increased to over 2 million during the 1995-2000 migration period. Florida declined slightly in its position as the dominant destination for a second decade, indicating a downward trend for the first time. Arizona became the second largest receiving state, next to Florida, and California approached New York's dominance as a migration origin, or sending, state. Nevada entered the top ranking retirement states for the first time.

Long-term migration dynamics of the older population may reflect perceived shifts in quality of life in destination states. Nonetheless, the next two decades will see a substantial rise in the number of older migrants.