Moving can bring regrets; photo by Andy Dean Photography

Study: Older generations are moving to be closer to family – but they have some regrets

ByDawn Allcot

With housing prices cooling slightly in 2025 compared to the year prior, Americans were on the move. Some moved for affordability reasons, others for lifestyle, and many to be closer to family or their support network. A recent survey by self-storage shopping portal SpareFoot.com highlighted not just the reasons people move, but key challenges associated with moving.

Read: Stories about family

Why people move

Amongst older generations, the main motivation to move was affordability, with 39% of Gen X and 34% of Boomers citing cost as the reason. On the other hand, 45% of Gen Z listed “family” as their main motivation, with affordability coming in second at 41%.

When it came to choosing where they would live, both Gen X (34%) and Boomers (36%) put being closer to family or their support network as a top priority, while Gen Z and Millennials looked for places where the residents in the region aligned with their political or social views. Affordability ranked fairly high across all demographics, as well. One-third of Gen X and one-quarter of Boomers said the cost-of-living affected their destination choice, with those percentages rising to 41% and 46% for Gen Z and millennials, respectively.

Moving stress

Regardless of the reason, moving often comes with stress. More than 70% of people who moved in 2025 reported feeling stressed during the move. Smaller percentages (between 21% and 38%) shared regrets about the moving process, ranging from not setting a realistic budget (23% to 24%) to not starting to pack earlier (37% to 38%).

The survey also found that, across the board, people who moved out of necessity, typically financial, had more stress and regrets than those who were moving for an aspirational reason, such as a change in lifestyle or being closer to family.

Biggest moving regrets for older movers

Regrets weren’t evenly divided amongst generations, either. In general, higher percentages of Gen Z and millennials had regrets than Gen X or Baby Boomers. More than half of the two younger cohorts regretted not setting a more realistic budget, while less than half of Gen X and Boomers felt that way. Not budgeting enough was the biggest regret across generations.

Meanwhile, 52% of Gen Z regretted not decluttering more thoroughly. That number declined steadily, with only 40% of Boomers wishing they decluttered more in advance of the move. Roughly one-third (34%) of Boomers wished they had started packing earlier. That number rose to 45% amongst Gen Z.  By the time someone has reached their 50s or beyond, they’ve probably been through several moves. The average American moves eight times in their life, according to a separate study from Joybird.

With age comes wisdom, experience, and ideally, a bag of moving tricks up your sleeve. If you’ve moved out of your childhood home, into your first apartment as an adult, into your first house, and then potentially a second, larger home, that’s already four moves as an adult. You may have the process down to a science, including decluttering, packing, and knowing what you’ll need to buy for your new space. That’s why it makes sense that older generations had fewer regrets related to the logistical side of moving.

The emotional costs of a move

Some of the regrets associated with moving come after you’ve settled into your new digs. One-quarter of those polled, across generations, said they miss their routines and community they’d established. One in five (21%) said they felt “stress, anxiety or burnout” related to the entire process. Twelve percent said they felt isolated after the move, while 10% felt the pain of leaving loved ones behind.

When a move is forced for financial reasons, downsizing, or job relocation, these emotions can be heightened. Forming relationships in your new community through volunteering, your job, or even part-time work if you’re retired can help ease the loneliness that comes with a major lifestyle change like moving.

For fewer regrets, take it slow

On the bright side, one-in-five movers across all age groups said their move was “overwhelmingly positive.” Careful planning, preparation, and experience come into play to create a positive experience before, during and after a move.

“[T]hose who fare best are the ones who control what they can control and plan for the rest,” Storable’s general manager of marketplace Dave Collins said in the report. “Give yourself permission to move in stages and build in buffers … to help ease the mental load by reducing time and space-induced stressors,” he said.

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Dawn Allcot is a freelance writer and owner of boutique content agency Allcot Media and travel and lifestyle publication Geek Travel Guide. With three decades experience writing about finance, tech, travel, marketing and insurance, she loves delivering actionable advice on the challenges that keep GenX up at night. Read more of Dawn’s work at GOBankingRates, MoneyLion, CNET, and TheStreet. Find Dawn on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnallcot/.

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