We examine evidence on trends in interstate migration over the past 150 years, using data
from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series of the U.S. Census (IPUMS). Two measures of
migration are calculated. The first considers an individual to have moved if she is residing in a state
different from her state of birth. The second considers a family to have moved if it is residing in a
state different from the state of birth of one of its young children. The latter measure allows us
estimate the timing of moves more accurately. Our results suggest that overall migration propensities
have followed a U-shaped trend since 1850, falling until around 1900 and then rising until around
1970. We examine variation in the propensity to make an interstate move by age, sex, race, nativity,
region of origin, family structure, and education. Counterfactuals based on probit estimates of the
propensity to migrate suggest that the rise in migration of families since 1900 is largely attributable
to increased educational attainment. The decline of interstate migration in the late nineteenth century
remains to be explained