Internal Migration in the United States: Rates, Selection, and Destination Choice, 1850-1940

I study native-born white men's internal migration in the United States over all possible 10- and 20-year periods between 1850 and 1940. Inter-county migration rates-after implementing a new method to correct for errors in linkage-were stable over time. Migrant selection on the basis of occupational status was neutral or slightly negative and also largely stable. But the orientation of internal migration changed over time, declining in distance and increasingly driving urbanization. In the 1930s, migration became less common and less urban oriented. These results provide a clearer understanding of historic U.S. internal migration than previously possible.