Survey Finds Nearly 40% of Americans Feel Pressure to Relocate

While moving on one's own terms can be rewarding, feeling pressure to relocate can be stressful and difficult, both physically and financially.

This is especially true in today’s economy, where persistently high inflation, mortgage rates, and home and rent prices can make it hard to find an affordable place.

Amid these economic headwinds, many people report feeling pressured to move. To examine how many people in the U.S. feel this pressure, LendingTree analyzed new data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey. The survey found that an overall 22.04% of adults who responded felt pressured to move.

Key Findings:

• Adults in California, Georgia, and Florida are most likely to feel pressure to move. In California, 28.75% of the population included in the study reports feeling pressured to move. In Georgia and Florida, that figure is 27.78% and 25.98%.
• Maine, West Virginia, and Vermont have the smallest share of adults who feel pressured to move. Among those analyzed in the study, 10.40% in Maine feel pressured to move, followed by West Virginia and Vermont at 12.68% and 15.16%, respectively.
• Most people who feel pressured to move don’t leave their homes. Nationwide, just 21.56% of adults who feel pressured to move do so because of that pressure. This figure varies by state, with Delaware having the largest percentage of pressured adults who moved (32.81%) and Alaska having the smallest (12.63%).
• Numerous factors—from rent increases to unsafe neighborhoods—are commonly cited as why people feel pressured to move. Nationwide, 39.79% of the respondents included in our study say a rent increase was why they felt pressured to move. Other common sources of pressure include landlords not making repairs (22.98%) and living in unsafe neighborhoods (18.10%). Keep in mind that respondents are allowed to select more than one reason why they feel pressured to move, meaning many may feel badgered by multiple sources.

Top 10 States Where the Largest Share of People Feel Pressured to Move:

1. California
2. Georgia
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Nevada
6. Washington
7. Arizona
8. North Dakota
9. Colorado
10. Texas

Top 10 States Where the Smallest Share of People Feel Pressured to Move:

1. Maine
2. West Virginia
3. Vermont
4. Nebraska
5. Iowa
6. Minnesota
7. Michigan
8. Arkansas
9. New Hampshire
10. Kansas

Why people are unlikely to be forced from their homes

While a significant share of U.S. adults report feeling pressured to move, the majority of renters or owners don’t appear to be at serious risk of losing their current residences.

LendingTree data indicates renters and homeowners are generally equipped to handle payments in the current economic environment. In addition to the legal and logistical challenges that can arise when a landlord or lender tries to force someone from their home, this helps explain why so few people lose their houses, even though some might still feel pressured to move.

Overall, survey data indicates most people aren’t teetering on the edge of eviction or foreclosure, even with today’s economic headwinds.

To read the full report, including more data, tips, charts, and methodology, click here.