One of the reasons we work hard, and sometimes smart, is to create the opportunity to have choices. This is not about the daily choices of what to eat or what to wear. I refer to the choices that build leverage and change lives, like ‘where will I live’ and ‘where will I go to school.’ These are some of the most powerful economic decisions a person can make as they ‘vote with their feet’ and consider which moves to make.
When it comes to residency moves, economic and educational systems may influence how people choose their state. Think about pull, push, and press forces. Let’s explore these forces with an intent to understand what matters most as people move.
PULL – THE ATTRACTION FACTORS
My first experience with a major move happened before I knew what attraction was. My father moved our family from Arkansas to Wichita, Kansas about six weeks after I was born. A fresh start and an opportunity to support a church was the pull, or attraction factor. The move wasn’t based on economic opportunity, but it turned out to be a good decision. With the move, we gained access to new education, work, and extra-curricular activities. After my father’s economic mobility improved, we moved from low-income housing. He purchased a home on the north side of the city, it wasn’t best part of town, but the schools and amenity access was good.
Like many people, I left the state I grew up in to pursue further education. Academic rigor and tuition costs were major factors in this decision. Many universities accepted me, but I chose to attend Iowa State University of Science and Technology. A full tuition scholarship helped to support the decision.
Great academic institutions can be a major pull factor for a state. A talented student benefits from the experience, lessons learned, and network gained. The state also enjoys “brain gain” and as a student participates in the local economies. But even with the benefits, there is often the cold prohibitive cost of higher tuition fees. The cost of out-of-state tuition lands between 2X – 5X the cost of in-state tuition. One could consider this a press factor, or a reason to make a change in their choice.
There are strategies that families or adults can deploy to help reduce the cost of tuition. Nerd wallet shares the general steps a student can take to qualify for in-state tuition. These steps include a move to the preferred state to gain residency. While there they would update their license, register to vote, work, and live. Local employment, civility, and a place to live will show their intent to join the local community. With these steps, they can become residents enjoying in-state benefits in no time. [6]
There are several universities and states that offer in-state tuition for out-of-state residents. Both the Academic Common Market [7] and the Midwest Student Exchange Program have a list of programs and universities. The Midwest Student Exchange has a goal to “ensure strong, equitable postsecondary educational opportunities and outcomes for all.” [8]
Movers may move to be close to family (29%), transfer with a company or find a new job (26%), or to retire (15%) [12]. Regardless of the reason for a move, there are many pull factors that people pay attention to. The pursuit of a good education and financial savings are only a few factors. Additional factors include:
- Lower unemployment rates and more job openings.
- Higher wages or better earnings trajectories for specific occupations or skill levels.
- Long-term opportunity through strong local economic growth.
- Affordable or higher‑quality housing in areas around growing job centers.
- Access to schools, safety, transportation services, and other local amenities.
PRESS – THE SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE FACTORS
Imagine that you can’t move or that progress requires you to hold right where you are. Systems and structures that cause this holding pattern create unnecessary pressure. These can be oppressive factors that prohibit economic mobility. In these situations, something must change for people to move up and out. System constraints occur where the following factors compound:
- Low‑wage labor markets
- Unfavorable working conditions
- At-will employment
- High in-state tuition costs
- Strict residency rules
- Limited public transportation
- Few middle‑skill pathways
- Housing affordability, negative equity, and price declines
A combination of these factors can prevent people from moving into higher wage sectors. They can also work as constraints to delay moving and reduce “foot voting”. In addition, the housing problems on this list can trap people in distressed regions that have deteriorating housing conditions.[2]
People can create economic and moral pressure for change when they reject, work through, or get over pressure factors. Consider how Rosa Parks decided to reject segregated seating. She refused to move because she knew segregation needed to change. Her actions encouraged many people to vote with their feet and boycott the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama. The outcomes of the boycott included economic pressures on the city and moral pressure for the Browder v Gayle case, which ended bus segregation.
Counter-pressure became the next issue Rosa had to face. She could not find adequate work in Alabama due to discrimination. This led her to “Leap” to Michigan where she found work with Congressman John Conyers. In Michagan, she continued activism for “Jobs, Justice, and Peace” in a safe environment that welcomed her and her family. [10]
PUSH – THE GET ON THE MOVE FACTOR
Rosa Parks cast some impactful ballots with her feet. She refused to move seats based on her sense of belonging and equality. She then opted to move out and up to enhance her belonging and equality in Michigan. The power of her votes, along with a civil rights community, carried power. Your movements carry power as well.
When some people experience negative conditions in a city or state, they are sometimes forced to move or at the very least consider their options. What may feel like a gentle nudge to one person, may land more like a kick in the pants to another. Do any of the factors below resonate with you?
A person’s education level may make them more willing and able to manage push factors. “In general, people tend to move to locations that pay higher wages for their particular skills.” College graduates are more likely to move than those with less education, and they “respond more to differences in local labor market conditions when choosing where to live.” [2]
Common push factors that can cause people to get on the move include:
- Policy instability, over-regulation, and political/governance issues.
- High unemployment in local labor markets, during or after recessions.
- Wage erosion relative to education, experience, or hours worked.
- Reduced household income from cost-of-living increases that rise faster than local wage growth.
- Local economic shocks via property tax, plant closures, industry decline, or downturns in key sectors like finance.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
Look back at your relocations or thoughts on potential moves. What forces were at play? Below are a few thoughts to remember as you move forward in life, careers, locations, and the pursuit of better.
- The top reasons people are moving are to get closer to family, current or new job, or to retire.
- Pull, press, and push factors support when and where movers choose to take a Leap.
- Rosa Park’s story reminds us that pull factors include the search for dignity, safety, belonging, and equality.
- U.S. population growth slowed in 2025 and states will have to become more competitive to attract and sustain people.
- Your journey includes where you work, live, learn, play, and grow families. Enjoy your moves!
“Just move on up, toward your destination. Though you may find, from time to time, a complication.” —Marvin Gaye, “Move On Up”
