People Leave DC Because of Housing, Survey Shows

• June 10, 2015

by Lark Turner

Housing is the most cited reason for moving away from DC, according to data from the Current Population Survey cited in a recent post by District Measured. The post looked at movement to and from DC over a 15-year period.

Of those who ditched DC, 36 percent gave housing as their reason for leaving. People listed six different housing-related reasons for moving, from wanting to own rather than rent a home to wanting to live in a better neighborhood.

The blog also found that more people moved from DC to the suburbs in Maryland and Virginia than the other way around. Between 2000 and 2011, the blog found, 391,000 DC residents — a little less than half of everyone who left — made their way to Maryland or Virginia. But only 191,000 of DC’s new residents, or 30 percent of those who moved to the District, moved from those states.

Of those who left for Maryland and Virginia, District Measured found that “those who share housing in the District with roommates are most likely to move out to the suburbs when they want a place of their own.”

District Measured’s post doesn’t mention whether schools may have played a role in the migration to the suburbs, which is considered by many to play a role in families’ moves away from the District. But the blog has previously looked at the number of middle schoolers who depart DC public schools.

Despite all the movement, DC still grew over the time period. Overall, the District had a net gain of 90,000 residents between 2000 and 2014, the study showed, with most people moving in for jobs.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/people_leave_dc_because_of_housing_survey_shows/9987