Survey Finds 29% of Americans Still Live in Hometowns

(Image courtesy All Star Home)

All Star Home, Raleigh, N.C., recently conducted a survey that found 29% of Americans report living in their hometowns.

Of those still living in their hometowns, 40% live with their parents. Of members of Gen Z who still live in their hometown, 86% still live with their parents, along with 28% of Millennials.

Forty-one percent see themselves living in their hometowns for the rest of their lives, and 52% plan to move away within the next five years.

Reasons respondents gave for remaining in their hometowns include comfort and emotional attachment, finances, jobs and a fear of the unknown.

In contrast, of those who leave their hometowns, 70% said they felt they needed to leave to “live the life they wanted.” Others reported leaving to follow family or for work or school.

When Americans do leave where they grew up, they don’t necessarily go far. The median distance respondents live from their hometowns is 30 miles.

Half of those who have left their hometown report missing their hometown. Twenty-one percent plan to move back to their home state, and 14% of those respondents want to move back to their hometown.

The survey also delved into what it called the “reverse-boomerang effect”–when parents move to where their adult children are living. Of respondents who moved out of state, 20% said their parents moved after they did.

Reasons given for this trend include that the parents wanted to live closer to their children, others said their parents liked the new state and some pointed to caregiving necessities.

All Star Home conducted the survey of 1,000 people in August 2023.