Relocating within the Jerusalem area

Jerusalem’s incoming migration was a mirror of the city’s outgoing migration, although more families and more adults migrated out of Jerusalem than into it.

By YAIR ASSAF-SHAPIRA
Just the Facts 250 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Just the Facts 250
(photo credit: Courtesy)
In 2009, the demographic makeup of Jerusalem’s emigration was as follows: 25 percent were children under the age of 15; 41% were young adults between the ages of 15 and 29; 30% were adults between the ages of 30 and 64; and 4% were seniors over the age of 65.
Jerusalem’s incoming migration was basically a mirror of the city’s outgoing migration, although more families and more adults migrated out of Jerusalem than into it.
Individuals tend to relocate in response to pivotal life events, whether the birth of a child or a child’s reaching school age.
Many of those who leave Jerusalem relocate to places in the surrounding area, which can be grouped into different categories by the particular demographic populations they draw.
Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit basically draw only haredi population, mostly young families. Young adults between 15 and 29 made up the bulk of incomers to Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit, between 47% and 54%; children under 15 accounted for 34%- 40%, adults between 30 and 64 accounted for 11%-12%; and seniors over 65 accounted for 1%.
Beit Shemesh, another major destination for ex-Jerusalemites, draws a more mixed population that includes haredi groups, as well as others. Adults between 30 and 64 accounted for 23% of incomers to Beit Shemesh, and young adults between 15 and 29 account for another 35%. Like other major destinations for the haredi population, the percentage of children entering the city approximated 40%.
The picture in Ma’aleh Adumim, Modi’in and Mevaseret Zion was somewhat different. Children under 15 accounted for 25% to 29% of incomers to these localities, and seniors over the age of 65 accounted for 4%-5%. The percentage of incoming adults between 30 and 64 was higher in Modi’in (45%) and Mevaseret Zion (41%) than Ma’aleh Adumim (34%).
 www.jiis.org