Americans change address less often than earlier generations did, and the decline has continued through very different economic conditions. Several independent constraints push in the same direction.
Two earners double the coordination problem
A household with one earner could relocate for one job offer. A household with two must find acceptable work for both people in the same metropolitan area.
That requirement sharply narrows the set of viable destinations, particularly when the two careers concentrate in different kinds of places.
The effect grew as dual-earner households became the norm, and it applies most strongly to specialized professions with few employers in any one city.
Housing costs blunt the wage gain
Moving historically meant trading a weak local labor market for a stronger one, with the wage difference more than covering the cost of living difference.
In the highest-wage metropolitan areas, constrained housing supply has pushed rents and prices up enough to absorb much of that premium.
For workers without advanced credentials the calculation can turn negative, since the wage gain is smaller while the housing cost difference is not.
Occupational licensing raises the cost of crossing a state line
A substantial share of American jobs now requires a state license, and requirements differ by state in hours, examinations and fees.
A licensed worker who moves may face additional coursework or testing before practicing, an interruption in income on top of relocation expenses.
Interstate compacts and reciprocity agreements have reduced this friction in several fields, though coverage remains uneven across occupations and states.
The workforce is older on average
Mobility is highest among people in their twenties, who are more likely to change jobs, form households and finish education around the same time.
As the median age of the workforce rose, the share of the population in that most mobile stage of life declined correspondingly.
Homeownership adds friction of its own, since selling and buying carries transaction costs that renting does not, and owners are older on average than renters.
Remote work changed the pattern more than the rate
Where jobs can be performed from anywhere, the tie between employment and address weakens, and some households did relocate to less expensive metropolitan areas.
The effect concentrated among higher-earning office workers, who are a minority of the workforce, so the aggregate mobility rate moved less than the attention suggested.
The other constraints remain in place regardless, which is why the long decline in moving has continued rather than reversing.