Rural-urban patterns of disability: The role of migration

Disability rates are higher in rural than in urban areas of the United States, raising the question: do residential preferences and selective migration of people with disabilities play a role in higher rural disability rates? Utilising concepts of environmental fit from the disability literature and ideas from classic, residential preference, and household migration studies, we examine the 2011-2015 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample to understand whether migration contributes to higher rural disability. Results show only slightly different propensities to stay in rural than in urban areas and similar destination choices of people with or without disability, suggesting that migration does little to explain higher rates of rural disability. However, we detect noteworthy differences in age migration schedules for persons with disability, persons without disability in households with disability, and persons without disability in households without disability. Disability emerges as a relevant, although underresearched, dimension in household migration research.