WASHINGTON -- Chronicling a migration that foreshadows political and economic change, the Census Bureau reported this week that well-educated and affluent Americans are swelling the population flow into the South.

The South was the only region to record a net gain between March 1996 and March 1997.

During that year, 42 million Americans -- 16 percent of the populace -- moved. Two-thirds stayed in the same county, but 6.4 million moved to a different state and 3.2 million moved between regions.

The South gained 391,000 people.

The impact goes beyond raw numbers, though: The influx, made up 90 percent of whites, is making the region better-educated and more affluent -- and probably will continue turning it more Republican.

Migration patterns have also given the South a financial boost. The median income for the newcomers was $17,400, while the median income for the people who left the region was $15,117, the Census Bureau reported.

Pub Date: 7/25/98