This paper examines the relationships between population redistribution and changes in housing tenure status from the national perspective by using data from the Annual Housing Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The research, like many other studies, has shown that short-distance residential mobility is the dominant type of household movement. Furthermore, mobility within the same area usually resulted in a substantial increase in homeownership.

Of previous renters, about one-fourth had become homeowners after they moved from their previous residence. The probability of changing from renter to owner status in any type of area was found to be greater for higher-income married households than for lower-income non-married households. The model also indicates that migrating from suburbs to central cities or from one central city to another (jointly classified as urban-bound migrants) definitely reduces the probability of buying a home ~r previous renters. In contrast, residential mobility toward suburbs or non-metropolitan areas (suburban-bound or non-metropolitan movers) tends to have a positive effect on gaining homeownership.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.