News

Report highlights brain drain’s impact on states

April 25, 2019 /

MATR Sponsor (view all)


"For small to medium to national organizations, for events and fundraisers of any size, in any format – live, virtual or hybrid – the platform is built for scale."
Brain Drain

New research from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee’s Social Capital Project finds that the migration of highly-educated adults toward dynamic states and major metropolitan areas is accentuating America’s geographic divisions. Using census data from 1940 to the present, the authors define “brain drain” as someone in the top third of the national education distribution who resides in a state other than their state of birth between the ages of 31 and 40. Their interactive, data-rich analysis finds that the states that are doing the best cluster around the Boston-Washington corridor and on the west coast, while states in the South and the Midwest/Great Lakes fare worse when it comes to attracting and retaining the highly educated. The authors also analyze changes in states and regions over time, as well as conclusions for what this means for social capital nationwide.


Click here to read the story.

MATR Supporters (view all)


The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce is the longest-standing and leading advocate for the Flathead Valley community and business climate.

For over 25 years, Zoot Enterprises has been a global provider of advanced origination, acquisition, and decision management solutions.

Prospera helps businesses and communities find their pathway to success, acting as the navigator, problem solver and catalyst for a strong Montana economy.
Posted in: , ,

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

2 Comments

  1. philadopolis on April 26, 2019 at 8:53 am

    The way the authors of the study defined “brain drain” seems really odd to me. When I think of “brain drain,” I think of young people moving away from the place that they attended high school and/or college. Place of birth seems irrelevant to me. I moved away from my place of birth (Hawaii) when I was a toddler, and haven’t been back since. If I was still in my thirties, I would be counted among those whose brains drained away from Hawaii.

  2. Russ Fletcher on April 26, 2019 at 9:35 am

    I agree. Better measurement is graduates leaving state. More important value is how many return to state where they graduated high school or college when they’re between ages 30 and 45. It’s O.K. for young people to leave a state to get their most expensive education – work and life experience – the challenge is developing an economic and social environment that makes them want to Come Home.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.