America Is Dying

If you follow the debates about Social Security and other entitlements, then you know the United States is rapidly growing older. Yesterday, I discussed declining geographic mobility in the United States. Could the two be linked? From The Atlantic:

Americans are most likely to move long distances when they are (a) young, (b) single, and (c) renters. We have plenty of young people. We have a historic number of singles. With home ownership gutted, rents are rising across the country. So, why aren't we moving more?

Right now, economic and financial turmoil does a good job of explaining that lack of moving. But we still have to contend with long-term trends. To me, the decline looks a lot like the advancing age of the Boomers. America is dying.

Even if Millennials get back with the moving program, the Boomers will still dominate the demographics. The older you are, the less likely you will relocate. That's why I think trying to retain recent college graduates is a waste of time. Young adults are geographically fickle. Meanwhile, the 65+ crowd is swelling in ranks. Could that skew the data?