First 'Reverse' Senior Migration Seen Since Depression

Defying conventional wisdom, more seniors 75 and over are now migrating north rather than south. Often the reason is to be near their children as their health may begin to decline.

1 minute read

February 27, 2007, 6:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid

For the first time since the Depression, more Americans ages 75 and older have been leaving the South than moving there, according to a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau data.

(The Census Bureau defines the South as the 16 states that stretch from Texas to Florida, including Maryland, Kentucky and Oklahoma.).

"Mildred Morrison, administrator for the Area Agency on Aging of Allegheny, Pa. described return migration as part of a natural progression.

"'They usually leave after retirement to a warmer climate, and return in good physical health, but maybe on the cusp of declining health, 10 years or so later,' Ms. Morrison said, mostly to 'reconnect with family.'"

"Calvin Beale, senior demographer of the Economic Research Service at the federal Department of Agriculture, said: 'After age 75, as health diminishes and/or widowhood occurs, there is some measure of return flow back to areas of origin, or wherever a caretaker-minded son or daughter lives. And this means a net outflow from the South.'"

FULL STORY: Making the Return Trip: Elderly Head Back North

Monday, February 26, 2007 in The New York Times

Social / Demographics United States

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