Americans Are Moving Away From Polluted Areas -- If They Can Afford To

MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Americans of means are fleeing heavily polluted places in the United States for cleaner locales, a new study has found.

Pollution levels are a factor in families’ decision to move within the United States, but only richer households can afford to move to areas with better air quality, researchers reported recently in the journal Environmental and Resource Economics.

“We find inequalities exist when it comes to who is exposed to the worst areas of pollution -- with poorer families hit hardest,” said researcher Aurelie Slechten, a senior lecturer in economics with Lancaster University in the U.K.