> vs the prior decades' "I have to move to NYC to get a job" ethos This may seem like a thing due to social bubbles, but the numbers do not bear it out. Prior

> vs the prior decades' "I have to move to NYC to get a job" ethos This may seem like a thing due to social bubbles, but the numbers do not bear it out. Prior to pandemic years (stats almost impossible to find on that yet, plus I'd wait another year or two to let the noise settle) Americans have never been less mobile in recent years than ever in the history of the nation. I've pointed it out as part of our general malaise of the past 50 years. People in general are very hesitant to uproot for economic opportunity compared to the historic norm. One other big difference is families don't move for the current patriarch/breadwinner either - both both societal and practical reasons. Big opportunities may also be less, but that's simple speculation. People's expectations in life and not accepting tradeoffs also may be part of it as well. Family size is certainly part of it, but the Boomer generation belies that as the only or maybe even major cause. That generation began the generations of putting grandma in the nursing home vs. living inter-generationally. It certainly wasn't for lack of kids per adult. The suburbs also seemed to happen around the same time. Edit: Since this fact always gets initially downvoted, some sources from a previous comment: https://www.brookings.edu/research/despite-the-pandemic-narrative-americans-are-moving-at-historically-low-rates/ https://www.brookings.edu/research/despite-the-pandemic-narr... https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.25.3.173 https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.25.3.173 I've read more on the subject but sources going back further are difficult to immediately find.