Determinants of internal migration to smaller cities: local public goods, job opportunities, and lifecycle stages

People moving from smaller to larger cities often do so in search of better economic opportunities. But what motivates migration from larger to smaller cities, which are acknowledged to offer fewer available jobs and prospects? This study’s empirical findings, in the context of South Korea, reveal that an individual’s willingness to move to a smaller-sized, secondary city is positively associated with the perception of local public goods there, but, surprisingly, not significantly aligned with job opportunities. However, this valuation differs by marital status and family-life-cycle stage. In addition, our results illustrate the importance of non-employment factors: dissatisfaction with current residency and place ties (e.g., length of previous residence and psychological place attachment) are strong factors motivating internal migration intention to smaller secondary cities. We discuss the implications of these findings for local government and policy makers in small cities that aim to attract new young and middle-aged adult residents.