Sowl et al.: Rural College Graduates: Who Comes Home?

In Rural College Graduates: Who Comes Home?, Stephanie Sowl, Rachel A. Smith, and Michael G. Brown (all of the School of Education, Iowa State) study the causes of so-called "brain drain" to help better understand the phenomenon of young people leaving rural areas.

"Brain drain" is the funneling out of talented young people from rural areas in search of different opportunities. Prior research focused on the economic factors that may drive college-educated young people from rural areas. However, this article expands on prior identified factors. The authors ask two main questions: (1) What are the migration patterns of college graduates from rural areas? and (2) What characteristics of rural schools and communities are associated with college-educated adults' return to their census tract versus county or state?

The authors took data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, which tracks health and behavior data. During three different time periods ranging from 1994 – 2018, the study looked at four main data points during the lives of the students selected: family-type statistics, postsecondary institution-level statistics, postsecondary education attainment, and current residential location. It is important to note that while the data are nationally representative of adolescents, it is not necessarily nationally representative of rural adolescents. However, the authors attempted to minimize contamination from non-rural areas.

The results found relatively few definitive causal factors related to a student's decision to return to their rural community. However, the authors provide a plethora of interesting statistical findings based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, grade school size, college-related variables and more. For example, Black/African American students were 65 percent less likely to return home than white students. Additionally, no neighborhood factors were statistically significant, with one exception: the level of the college-educated population already in the rural community. If the population was more than 31 percent college-educated, the students were 75 percent less likely to return home.

Overall, some factors from a student's background could influence their decision to return home to their rural communities. However, few of these factors are under the student's or their families' control. Further study on the developmental factors contributing to so-called "brain drain" could help community leaders better encourage the return of highly educated students for the benefit of their home communities.