City size plays crucial role in migration patterns

People from smaller cities are more likely to migrate than people from larger cities, according to a new study by UCL academics. The study, published today in the open access journal PLOS ONE , looked at internal migration patterns across the USA, finding that the size of origin and destination cities play a crucial role in the behaviour of people who move from one place to another. Inhabitants of smaller cities - of fewer than 100,000 inhabitants - are twice as likely to migrate than those of cities with a population greater than ten million. Those who do migrate are more likely to move to a city of a similar size. People already living in larger cities are less likely to migrate, but when they do, they are more likely to move to similarly sized large cities. Lead researcher, UCL PhD student Rafael Prieto Curiel (UCL Mathematics), said:  "The results could have an impact on future integration policies as governments can more accurately predict where citizens are likely to move from and to within their country. "Migrants contribute to the prosperity of their destination with skills and activities, but migration requires integration policies and social support systems to allow newcomers to settle into a new environment and therefore fully contribute locally." Ensuring newcomers are able to settle into a new area and contribute their skills and expertise can be important in combatting issues such as segregation, inequality and loneliness.