Facebook Social Connection and Intermetropolitan Migration before and after COVID-19

This research studies the intermetropolitan migration of 18- to 55-year-old American workers before and after COVID-19. Using the conditional logit model, we evaluate the relative importance of Facebook social connection, economic, and demographic factors on individual decisions over where to move. The findings imply that Facebook social connections are more influential on relocation decisions than economic and demographic factors. In addition, we find that older, white and less educated individuals are more likely to move to metropolitan locations with stronger Facebook social connections, whereas individuals who are younger, nonwhite, and more educated place a greater weight on the metropolitan income level. After COVID-19, the relative importance of Facebook social connection on intermetropolitan migration increases.