A "Migration of Despair": Unemployment, the Search for Work, and Migration to Farms During the Great Depression

Objective . This study examines migration to farms during the Great Depression, when many displaced workers moved to farms in nearby rural areas searching for a means of livelihood. Methods . Regression analyses of data from the USDA, Census Bureau, and other sources are used. Results . (1) The rate of migration was greatest in places where the search for work by the unemployed was most intense. (2) The "push" of economic dislocation was a more significant factor in the migration than was the "pull" of the expected payoff to the movement. (3) Those who moved tended to be the long-term unemployed and labor force dropouts, suggesting that the migration was most sensitive to lengthy spells of joblessness. Conclusions . The results support hypotheses derived from theory and research and are most consistent with the classic "push-pull" model, which holds that the jobless will move to look for work or for other means of sustenance.