2019 Report

Main Reason For Leaving KC

If residents anticipated leaving KC, the most often selected reason was personal reasons relating to family, chosen by 22 percent of respondents. Looking for a better life or opportunity and weather or change of scenery were chosen next most often, by 16 percent and 15 percent of respondents, respectively. Interestingly, jobs and the economy came in fifth, at only 11 percent, reflecting an economy that is finally performing well enough that most are experiencing the benefits of its growth. These percentages vary substantially by age and race, however, with older adults much more likely to cite personal reasons and family than younger people, and blacks much more likely to cite looking for a better life than whites.

(Caution: The sample for this question is limited to only those who said they intend to leave KC. When demographic breakdowns result in few responses, the tabulations are likely to become unreliable. For this data, we have indicated that those tabulations resulting in a sample less than five may not be usable for analysis.)