DYNAMICS OF THE UNITED-STATES INTERSTATE MIGRATION SYSTEM, 1975-1992

This note is an empirical study that further develops existing analysi s by McHugh and Gober published in this journal (1992). The note follo ws McHugh and Gober by using annual state-to-state migration flow data from Internal Revenue Service records and measures of migration effic iency in analyzing the U.S. interstate migration system. It extends th e analysis to a longer period, however-1975 to 1992. This note enhance s McHugh and Gober's analysis by extending our knowledge of changes in U.S. migration patterns into the 1990s. But it also suggests modifica tions to some of their conclusions. First, the note concludes that the emergence of a new pattern of population redistribution in the U.S. i n the 1980s, as reported by McHugh and Gober, was indeed significant, but that it was transitory. Second, the note's analysis does not suppo rt McHugh and Gober's conclusion of a fairly strong inverse relationsh ip between migration effectiveness and economic expansions and contrac tions.