The media and social media are filled with stories – every week – of people moving to an idyllic off-grid lifestyle – in a rural or small-town area where life is wonderful.
Reality check
- Up to 20% give up within the first year
- Up to 50% give up within 3-5 years and return to city living.
Those that make it past 5 years tend to say long term.
The media presentation is a sample bias – they only cover those who have done the initial move, and a handful who have been off grid for a few years. The media rarely runs stories about those who gave it up and returned to city life.
As of today, the US Census estimates 1.5 million households are living in “off grid” situations, which is a increase since 2010 – much of it since Covid. That may sound like a lot, but it is less than 1% of households.
But another estimate was that just 250,000 individuals lived off grid, full time, in the US in 2020. It is possible – even likely – that the Census count of households includes what are actually vacation homes, seasonal homes and other abodes occupied only temporarily.
Oddly enough, super modern technology enables many to “move back to nature”. Seriously. Solar PV, satellite and other wireless Internet, mobile phone services – and sophisticated hydroponic, sometimes automated greenhouses for growing food. They are not really “off grid” – just not connected to the power utility. Many, if not most, remain dependent on grocery stores, Costco, Walmart and modern health care services, making “off grid” living more about living a long way from cities but not really “off grid”.
The most common reasons for giving up the off-grid lifestyle are financial problems, and sometimes after discovering the workload for the presumed idyllic life can be quite hard. Some also develop physical or medical issues and discover that living way out can make access to care difficult, especially in a potential emergency.
