Puget Sound Millennials Staying Close To Home, Study Finds

SEATTLE — Who says you can’t stay home? Most millennials live and work near their childhood homes, according to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University.

Nearly six in 10 young adults live within 10 miles of where they grew up, and eight in 10 live within 100 miles, the study found.

About 75 percent of young adults who grew up in the greater Seattle area stayed here. For those that moved within Washington, the top destinations were: Bellingham (1.1 percent), Spokane (0.92 percent) and Yakima (0.53 percent).

Los Angeles was the top destination for young adults moving out of state as 1.8 percent from the Seattle area moved there. Other top out-of-state destinations were San Francisco (0.99 percent) and Phoenix (0.83 percent).

The study analyzed where individuals moved between childhood (their location at 16 years old) and young adulthood (where they lived at 26). It was based on data from the decennial census, survey and tax data for people born between 1984 and 1992. The geographic areas in the study are based on commuting zones.

Nationally, young adults whose parents were in the top 20 percent income level were more likely to move out of state compared with the rest of the population. Around Seattle, around 72 percent of young adults who meet that criteria stayed home, while 5.9 percent moved within Washington and 22 percent moved out of state.

Matching the broader trend, three quarters of young adults whose parents were in the bottom 20 percent income level stayed in Puget Sound.

Among demographic groups, about 74 percent of Black and 76 percent of Hispanic young adults stayed in Seattle, along with 74 percent of white young adults. Asian young adults were more likely to stay in the area, at 82 percent.

Nationally, Black young adults moved an average of 60 fewer miles than white young adults. Young white adults were more likely to leave their home area, and when they did, they tended to travel farther.

Around 63 percent of young adults living in Puget Sound grew up here, according to the study. Those who moved away traveled an average of 283 miles, outpacing the national average of 181 miles. The Seattle region is also one of the nation's top attractors of millennials from elsewhere, landing among the top five destinations.

The top 10 destinations for Seattle young adults who moved away are:

1. Los Angeles: 1.8 percent
2. Portland, Ore.: 1.6 percent
3. Bellingham, Wash.: 1.1 percent
4. San Francisco: 0.99 percent
5. Spokane: 0.92 percent
6. Phoenix: 0.83 percent
7. New York City: 0.78%
8. San Diego: 0.68 percent
9. Washington, D.C.: 0.47 percent
10. Longview, Wash.: 0.46 percent

The top destinations nationally for adults who leave their childhood commuting zones are:

1. New York, NY: 3.2 percent
2. Los Angeles, CA: 3.1 percent
3. Washington, D.C.: 2.2 percent
4. Atlanta, GA: 1.9 percent
5. Seattle, WA: 1.8 percent
6. Chicago, IL: 1.8 percent
7. Denver, CO: 1.7 percent
8. San Francisco, CA: 1.7 percent
9. Dallas, TX : 1.7 percent
10. Houston, TX: 1.6 percent

Explore all the migration data here, including an interactive map.