In this article, I apply the principles of formal demography to a little-studied aspect of migration, return migration. I exploit certain similarities with mortality settings to propose some key indicators such as rates of return-migration and migration prevalence and incidence. These indicators are applied to the case of 19th-century Geneva, and prove to be especially useful to highlight alternative expectations of the migrants toward the city, as well as long term trends of the schedule of migration. I conclude that migration studies, and particularly migration history, would profit from the adoption of such measures by a larger audience.