Research on rural and urban migration often focuses attention on differences in migration behavior and on its effect on the population composition of place of origin and destination. Differential migration propensity and destination preferences of age groups, for instance, have affected the age composition of rural areas resulting in an older population and, for urban areas, trending toward a more youthful population.
Disability is more prevalent in rural than urban America, especially in the rural South. This inequity holds true after controlling for age and race. The question, then, becomes why? Do migration propensities and destination preferences of persons with disability, versus persons without disability, contribute to unequal spatial patterns of disability?
ACS 2011-2015 PUMS (Public Use Micro Sample) data are used to explore these questions. To capture disability, the survey asks people whether or not they experience impairments (hearing, vision, ambulatory, cognitive) or functional limitations (independent living or self care challenges). Our analysis of migration propensities reveals that age migration schedules differ for people with disability versus people without. To explore rural-urban preferences, we developed a rurality-urbanity scale for PUMAs (Public Use Microdata Areas). Our findings suggest that destination preferences are similar for persons with and persons without disability. A closer look at the household context sheds additional light on the complexities of migration behavior.
