Why People Move and How To Reach Them

Almost 31 million Americans moved in 2019. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, these are the reasons why people move:

• Wanted new or better home/apartment: 17.4%
• To establish own household: 12.2%
• New job or transfer: 10.8%
• Other family reason: 10.5%
• Wanted cheaper housing: 8.2%
• Other housing reason: 6.7%
• To be closer to work/easier commute: 6%
• Wanted to own their own home, not rent: 5.9%
• Change in marital status: 4.8%
• Other reasons: 4.4%
• To attend or leave college: 3.2%
• Wanted better neighborhood/less crime: 3.1%
• Health reasons: 1.8%
• To look for work or lost job: 1.5%
• Other job-related reasons: 1.2%
• Foreclosure/eviction: 0.9%
• Change of climate: 0.8%
• Retired: 0.7%
• Natural disaster: 0.1%

Yes, there are so many reasons why people move. And, businesses that want to reach these households can use Dataman Group’s New Mover list. This list is available every week, which gives businesses a chance to “hit them while they’re hot”.

We know that new movers will need a myriad of products and services when they get into their new home. And, we also know that shopping habits and buying preferences start right away.
It is true that there are differences in what New Homeowners and renters need. However, many of the basics are the same. Newcomers need to find new grocery stores, restaurants, houses of worship, banks, hair and nail salons, and physicians. The list is endless.

Reaching Americans who Move

Direct mail is probably the most efficient means of reaching new movers. After all, we have their new address. Because they are so new, telephone numbers and email addresses will typically not be available. These are generally appended to the mail file at about 3 months.

Another way to reach these new movers is by using addressable geofencing. This means using the actual mailing list to plot their GPS locations. This was you can serve ads to the new movers on their mobile phones, tablets and home computers.