Consumer migration—2004

Shopper Report, The, Jan, 2004 by Mona Doyle

Anecdotally, we are hearing from many consumers who are fleeing or planning to flee metropolitan areas for zip codes in warmer climates where the taxes are lower and the living longer (if they can find medical care).

Good medicine and great hospitals and specialists were among the major reasons keeping consumers in or near big cities. Now, rising property taxes, higher property values, rising health insurance costs, the poor job market, and fleeing doctors are making city-flight look more attractive to a wider age swath of consumers.

* "We're not old enough to retire but we are going to get out of here while the getting is good and before the property taxes go any higher."

* "My income just hasn't kept up with the rising costs of living in the suburbs."

* "If I move now, I can get adjusted to a new area, meet people and find a church while I'm still young enough to participate."

* "I do not see an improvement in the job market. The statistics do not show the number of people who have dropped off of unemployment benefits."

* "It doesn't make sense to stay in an area with great doctors when health insurance is getting to the point where we may not be able to afford it."

The Shopper Report[R] Copyright 2004, edited by Mona Doyle, is published 11 times a year by The Consumer Network, Inc., P.O. Box 42753, Philadelphia PA 19101. Phone (215) 235-2400 FAX: (215) 235-6967. The Consumer Network provides consulting and research services including focus groups, shopping partnerships, home visits, and mail and e-mail surveys.