Adults aged 75 or more years — often the point at which senior living providers start thinking of them as prospective residents — generally are attracted to the same destinations to live as people of all ages, and places that are unpopular with them also are unpopular with people of all ages, according to a new issue brief from the American Seniors Housing Association.
But things start to change when people reach their 80s, notes “Migration Trends of Older Adults.” The report, by Francesco “Frank” Rockwood, president of Rockwood Pacific, analyzed data mainly from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The pandemic has not materially changed migration patterns, he found.
Some differences do exist between the preferences of the general population and those of adults aged 75 or more years. For instance, the brief noted, “Florida is a magnet, but even more so for seniors. Many flee California, but seniors are more likely to stay.”
Connecticut, Oregon, Idaho and Arizona also attract people of all ages, according to the research, but “they are relatively more popular with seniors.” And adults 75+ are attracted to Virginia, Maryland and Washington state even though those states have “overall unpopularity” among those moving within the United States.
On the other hand, according to the report, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, “while popular destinations overall, are relatively less attractive for seniors.” And despite Nevada’s attractiveness to domestic movers, it is not as popular for older adults who are moving, Rockwood’s analysis found.
“Only when one reaches their mid-eighties do migration patterns diverge significantly from the general population,” the brief noted. “The draw of the sun is diminished, with many older seniors returning to their legacy homes or reuniting with their adult children in locales outside the sunbelt, including, notably, the states of Washington, Virginia and Idaho.”
That finding also could be good news for states such as Ohio and Michigan, Rockwood wrote. Those states “are particularly unpopular with seniors 75+,” but “this may not be the case for older seniors (age 85+) as being close to family members starts to outweigh other considerations.”
The 41-page report, which includes numerous charts, is free for ASHA members and $50 for others. It may be accessed via the ASHA website.
