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Surprising Results: No-go to YOLO! Millennials Move for Jobs, Better Pay, and Benefits

WRAZ Raleigh (May 2019) – Millennials are growing up, and a new national survey – released just in time for May’s National Moving Month and the busy summer moving season – indicates they may be aging out of a YOLO, carefree-phase. Instead, Millennials are choosing where they live based on factors that would make their parents proud (like better jobs, higher pay, and benefits). In fact, do we dare say it?  Millennials – ranging from age 22 and graduating college to age 38 and having families – are starting to sound a lot like their parents!

The surprising new national survey of more than 650 Millennial men and women (born 1981 – 1996) who have moved in the last five years shows Millennials would forfeit living in a fun, dream city for a job that pays well with good benefits.   And get this – they desperately want to get rid of mom’s couch and plan to buy their own home.

The survey, commissioned by Our Town America, the nation’s leading new mover marketing franchise, paints a new portrait of the “non-committal slacker” generation often accused of prioritizing selfies over salaries.   Rather than Uber from adventure to adventure, Millennials are eager to move for job opportunities that equate to a better future for themselves and their families.

Watch the video below, recently featured on WRAZ TV in Raleigh, to gain insight on survey findings.

The national survey reveals:

  • More than half (58 percent) would move to a city they don’t like for the right job
  • 71 percent would choose to move for a higher paying job in the middle of nowhere over a lower paying job in their dream city
  • Nearly 1 in 3 (30 percent) made their most recent move for their career
  • Those who moved for a job cite higher salary and better benefits as top reasons for the move
  • 86 percent of Millennials who live with their parents or relatives want to move out
  • 84 percent of Millennials plan to buy a home

Most Millennials (72 percent) said they don’t live in their dream city; the reasons are practical and calculated.  “Price,” “the neighborhood,” and “proximity to work” were the top three reasons Millennials moved to their current city.

Of course, Millennials also love to have fun, but want to keep it close to home…in a place Rover can roam.   The survey shows convenience wins with Millennials on the move.   Respondents said their home must be:

  • Within range of delivery services (69 percent)
  • Within walking distance to restaurants and stores (57 percent)
  • Home to great community events (53 percent) – the top five favorites, in order, were food festivals, concerts, sporting events, bar hopping/wine tasting, and family-friendly events
  • And a great fit for their pet(s) – 3 in 5 Millennials have pets, 70 percent of whom say pets influence where they live

And so much for bright lights, big city.   When asked about their ideal living situation:

  • 80 percent said they’d prefer a different option other than “Big City Life”
  • More than 1/3 (35 percent) of those surveyed would choose to move an Uber ride away from the city
  • 1 out of 4 (25 percent) want to move to the suburbs, living even further away from the city
  • Only 1 out of 5 want to move to the city (20 percent), barely beating out the rural boonies (19 percent) as the ideal living situation for Millennials

The survey also shows when Millennials move, this Phone-in-Face generation actually craves Face-to-Face connection with new neighbors.

  • 76 percent say they’d prefer to meet new people in person rather than online
  • 44 percent try to meet their neighbors
  • 80 percent say they’d love a housewarming gift and 45 percent say they have given a housewarming gift
  • Those who don’t try to meet their neighbors say it’s because they’re concerned with safety when knocking on doors
  • More than 2 in 5 (41 percent) fear that social media has become the new neighborhood

“Millennials are growing up, and they’re turning down pie-in-the-sky ‘dream cities’ for places that offer a better quality of life,” says Our Town America’s CEO Michael Plummer, Jr.  “They’re seeking careers that provide good pay and benefits so they can have families and buy a home someday.   It’s also clear they want to live close to an active social scene and develop real connections with neighbors. The cities that check those ‘wish list’ boxes will soon see a boom of Millennial movers.”

Millennial respondents say their ideal city has good scenery, great weather, fun outdoor activities, and plenty of job opportunities.  The study also shows that if Millennial is new to town, they’d love a new business to welcome them.

  • 85 percent say they’d take advantage of a local small business offer/freebie (like a free meal or haircut).  Almost all (98%) say they’d likely revisit the business after trying out the offer.

“This survey shows that Millennials crave social connection – the warm and fuzzy feeling they remember from their childhood neighborhoods,” says Plummer.   “It also shows Millennials are on the move and on a mission to build a better life for themselves and their families.  Therefore, the local businesses who reach out and make these Millennial movers feel welcome in their new community will have loyal customers for life.”

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*Editor’s Note:

*Please cite Our Town America as the source for this survey.

*This online survey of 652 men and women was conducted by a third party and commissioned by Our Town America.

*Survey participants have no affiliation with Our Town America.

 

About Our Town America
For 47 years, Our Town America has been providing new movers with traditional hospitality by mailing warm housewarming gifts from local neighborhood businesses in a premium welcome package. Since the company started franchising in 2005, Our Town America has consistently been placed in the Franchise Top 50, ranking top in their category for franchisee satisfaction.

Our Town America’s dedication to the “sponsor exclusivity” concept, meaning Our Town America will only recommend one of each business type in any specific zip code within its welcome packages, has been one of the key catalysts for the company’s long-term success. In addition, sponsors consistently rave about other unique aspects of the new mover marketing program – such as their ability to reach a brand-new audience of impressionable new movers each month and the insightful data/metrics delivered by Our Town America’s innovative pinpoint tracking system.

Due in large part to Our Town America’s devotion to those concepts, thousands of satisfied business owners throughout the United States attest to the success and effectiveness of the program. Additionally, dozens of locally owned franchisees validate Our Town America’s concept as a viable business opportunity.

It is Our Town America’s mission to assist new movers adjusting to their community, help businesses gain new and loyal customers and provide franchisees with an excellent opportunity. The eight million households who receive Our Town America’s welcome packages each year prove that Our Town America is committed to following through on that mission statement.

For more information, visit the Our Town America website at https://www.ourtownamerica.com or call 1-800-497-8360.

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