[StBernard] July 1, 2000, through July 1, 2004 Domestic Net Migration shows more outward flow of population from Louisiana than in-migration.

[Westley Annis]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM U.S. CENSUS BUREAU ON THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

Domestic Net Migration in the United States: 2000 to 2004 - This report
describes recent patterns of population redistribution within the country.
Analysis focuses on net migration for different geographic areas, including
regions, divisions, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
and counties. The report focuses on the post-Census 2000 period but also
includes data from 1990 to 1999. Internet
address:<http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p25-1135.pdf
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p25-1135.pdf> >.

Domestic migration is the movement of people within the United States. Net
migration for a given geographic area is the difference between in-migration
and out-migration during a specified time frame. Net migration can be either
positive or negative. Positive net migration indicates net in-migration,
while negative net migration indicates net out-migration. In this report,
the net migration rate for a particular period is calculated by dividing
total net domestic migration by the average population living in that area
over the period and multiplying the resulting figure by 1,000. The primary
focus of this report is the post-Census 2000 period (July 1, 2000, through
July 1, 2004), although annualized migration data for the period 1990 to
2000 are included. 

Migration is playing a larger role in population redistribution within the
United States. With birth and death rates currently low and largely similar
across the country, natural increase (the excess of births over deaths)
exerts less influence than it used to in explaining why some regions,
states, or counties have faster population growth than others. This report
describes recent patterns of population redistribution reflected in the
domestic net migration component of population estimates data.1 Analysis
will focus on net migration for a number of different kinds of geographic
areas, including regions, divisions, states, metropolitan and micropolitan
statistical areas, and counties. 

The migration story at the broad regional geographic level is one of net
out-migration from the Northeast and the Midwest and net in-migration to the
South. The South continued to have the most net in-migration of any region,
due to the continued higher levels of net in-migration to the South Atlantic
division. Net in-migration to the East South Central and West South Central
divisions dropped from their respective average annual levels in the 1990's.

The South remained the primary destination for migrants within the United
States, with average net in-migration of 353,000 annually (a rate of 3.4 per
1,000) between 2000 and 2004. While these were the highest figures of any
region, they reflect a modest decline from even higher migration figures for
the 1990s, when net in-migration averaged 380,000 per year (a rate of 4.1
per 1,000). This decline was due entirely to steep declines in net
in-migration for the East and West South Central divisions. In the East
South Central division, average annual net in-migration dropped from 63,000
per year in the 1990s to 20,000 per year between 2000 and 2004, while
average annual net in-migration in the West South Central division dropped
from 63,000 per year to 21,000 per year. In contrast, the South Atlantic
division, the most populous of the region's three divisions, saw its net
in-migration increase from an average of 254,000 per year in the 1990s (5.4
per 1,000) to 313,000 per year (5.8 per 1,000) in 2000-2004. 

State-Level Migration 

Migration patterns for the individual states varied for the period 2000 to
2004. Florida had the largest annualized amount of net in-migration during
2000-2004, averaging 191,000 per year (Figure 1). Arizona (66,000) and
Nevada (51,000) were second and third, respectively. Of the 10 states with
the largest annualized net migration amounts for the period, 7 are located
in the South and 3 are located in the West. 

Louisiana's average annual domestic net migration loss was -16,945 between
2000 and 2004 compared to a -15,531 loss between 1990 and 2000.  The State
had one of the lowest average annual rates of net domestic migration for
states from 2000 to 2004 at -3.8 compared to -3.6 for Louisiana 1990 to
2000.  Louisiana's total domestic net migration for 1990 to 2000 was
-155,312 and -67,781 from 2000-2004.