Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Cause Residents to Leave Urban Neighborhoods?

A new Cleveland Fed report finds that the widely reported flight of residents from urban neighborhoods during the pandemic is reflected in migration flows. But the real story behind people’s motivations for exiting and avoiding urban communities is more complicated.

This month’s FedTalk features Cleveland Fed researcher Stephan Whitaker who looks at the numbers behind the perceived urban exodus of 2020 in his recent work, “Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Cause Residents to Leave Urban Neighborhoods?"

Were people living in dense neighborhoods afraid of contracting the coronavirus?

Were they liberated to move because of the shift to remote work?

A Q&A session will follow the discussion.