Determinants of Migration for the Sixty-Seven Counties of Florida Before and After The Great Recession

Abstract

Florida had a net loss of 18,000 migrants to other states between 2008 and 2009, whereas it had a net gain of 185,000 migrants between 2004 and 2005. This article examines the determinants of state in, out, and net migration for the sixty-seven counties in Florida before and after the Great Recession. Counties with a high percentage of the labor force in tourism and those with a military base experienced high rates of both in and outmigration for both years, probably more indicative of a mobile population than an expanding or contracting economy. Counties with high rates of unemployment experienced high outmigration in 2008 and 2009, suggesting that the economic recession affected those counties. Counties with a high percentage of elderly attracted migrants in both years, likely because elderly, although not directly in the labor force, still require a cadre of support workers. Surprisingly, change in median housing value was not significant for 2008 and 2009.

Keywords:

• Florida
• Great Recession
• internal migration

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evelyn Ravuri

EVELYN RAVURI is Professor of Geography at Saginaw Valley State University, 237 Wickes Hall, University Center, MI 48710. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include migration, population geography, and ethnicity.