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JUE Insight: Urban flight seeded the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States

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  • Coven, Joshua
  • Gupta, Arpit
  • Yao, Iris

Abstract

We document large-scale urban flight in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regions that saw migrant influx experienced greater subsequent new COVID-19 cases, linking urban flight (as a disease vector) and coronavirus spread in destination areas. Urban residents fled to socially connected areas, consistent with the theory that individuals sheltered with friends and family, or in second homes. Populations that fled were disproportionately younger, whiter, and wealthier. The association between migration and subsequent new cases persists when instrumenting for migration with social networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Coven, Joshua & Gupta, Arpit & Yao, Iris, 2023. "JUE Insight: Urban flight seeded the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juecon:v:133:y:2023:i:c:s0094119022000663
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2022.103489
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Unchitta Kan & Jericho McLeod & Eduardo López, 2024. "Non-coresident family as a driver of migration change in a crisis: the case of the COVID-19 pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Rickman, Dan S. & Wang, Hongbo, 2023. "COVID-19 and Beyond: Economic Outcomes in Republican vs. Democratic States," MPRA Paper 118531, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration; COVID-19; Contagion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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