Migration behavior of young adults reared in Putnam County, Tennessee

In the present study data concerning 272 young adult men and 267 young adult women reared in Putnam County, Tennessee were analyzed. Data were obtained from a 1975 survey of household heads residing in Putnam County on their adult aged children reared in Putnam County. Questions asked of parents of the young adults were designed to generate information linking migration patterns and present residence to socio economic characteristics such as occupation, family income, education, level of living, age, number of children, and marital status.

The objectives were: (1) to determine the frequency of primary migration and return migration; (2) to determine socio-economic characteristics of males and females by migration pattern and present residence; and (3) to determine reasons for the various types of migration patterns with special emphasis on return migration.

Primary migrants were found to have the highest total family income average, the greatest average number of home items, and the greatest average years of education of the three categories. With regard to employment, return migrant males had a very large proportion in the unemployed category. Return migrants, except for age or age related characteristics, were very similar to nonmigrants. Both males and females residing in Putnam County had, on the average, the fewest years of education and number of children. Educational differences of both migration pattern and present residence were rather small for both men and women.

Attachment to family, for both primary and return migrants, was found to be a key factor in subsequent migration. Migrants who marry natives of Putnam County have a higher chance of returning to live in Putnam County. Also, the later the age of first migration, the greater was the probability of returning to Putnam County for the men surveyed.