Based on the 2016 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS2016), this study examines the spatial distribution patterns of core family members and housing location choices of rural-urban migrant families. Migrant families have formed diversified living arrangements such as family reunification with homeownership in the destination city, family reunification without homeownership in the destination city, urban-rural split and urban-town split living arrangements. Those with higher human capital, richer family resources and an urge for a marital home are more likely to purchase housing in either the destination city or the hukou registered hometown town or city. Migrant families in super megacities and those with a higher level of economic development in their hukou registered place are more likely to seek housing opportunities in their hukou registered hometown town or city. Under the constraints of reality, migrant families optimize collective familial benefits by allocating resources, such as family members and housing, across diverse spatial domains. This strategy facilitates the urbanization of migrants into cities while also offering them the option to return to their rural hometowns. This implies a multi-stage and step-wise chain urbanization process, which requires a family relay to achieve family reunification and citizenization.

Based on fourwave data of the CLHLS from 2008 to 2018, this paper uses interpolation Markov chain to calculate the risk transition probability among different health states, life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) of the older adults who were 6599 years old by marital status. The disabilityhealth transition probability, LE and HLE were lower for older adults without a spouse than those with a spouse, while the proportion of HLE in remaining LE was higher for older adults without spouse. The LE and HLE of older women were longer than older men, but womens proportion of HLE in the remaining LE was lower. The disability rate of older adults increased from 2016 to 2030, and will reach a “stable” level around 2026. Women and older adults without spouses will have a high risk of disability in the future. These findings suggest that having a spouse is a protective factor for older adults health.