About 4 million people moved from rural areas to a town in the 19th century in the UK.
Many people moved to "the new world", etc.
Of course most moves were short (simply "one level up" on the density ladder).
"""
The working-class intercounty migrant was young, literate and skilled; the median distance travelled was 59 miles. Regional migration pathways are described. Rural workers moved more frequently than urban workers, but urban workers travelled a greater median distance than their rural counterparts
"""
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03057...
""" ... only 29% of heads of households in 1871 had been born in Manchester and 12% originated from surrounding counties, 32% were long-distance mainland migrants, coming from as far afield as Scotland and East Anglia. """
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/migration-cities/0/...
So if 80% are staying withing a 100 miles, 20% moving more is not that far from the 32% in the 19th century.
Actually, no. It is a very recent phenomenon, and never experienced before at this scale in the history of mankind.
Even at the current scale, this is what the data shows:
> Nearly six in 10 young adults live within 10 miles of where they grew up, and eight in 10 live within 100 miles, according to a new study by researchers at the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/07/theres-no-pla...