Wisconsin remains one of the worst states in the country for ‘brain drain’ of young, college educated residents who move away.
That standing hasn’t changed much since 2009 when Wisconsin was the worst “brain drain” state in the country. It’s now the second worst behind North Dakota, according to a report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum written by Ava Gagner, Andy Tisde and forum research director Joe Peterangelo.
“Wisconsin-born adults who have moved to another state are more likely to hold bachelor’s degrees than those who have moved to Wisconsin from another state,” the report states. “Wisconsin-born adults are more likely to have earned a bachelor’s or advanced degree than the national average, and even with the effects of brain drain, educational attainment among current Wisconsin residents is still close to the national average.”
Brain drain is commonly defined as individuals who have college degrees or other skills living outside of the state they grew up in.
According to the report, roughly 59.8% of Wisconsin-born adults between the ages of 31 and 40 with a bachelor’s degree or higher now live in another state. And it’s estimated that 45.2% of adults in the same age group and education who were born outside of the state now live in Wisconsin.
That’s a difference of 14.6%. Only North Dakota has a greater difference at 15.8%. The states with more people with degrees and skills coming in than leaving are California with a difference of 23.9%, New York with a difference of 17.2% and Illinois with a difference of 10.4%.
Business leaders deeply concerned about the talent loss
Dale Kooyenga, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said his organization thinks about the brain drain issue “on a weekly basis.”
“We have been losing a lot of talent,” Kooyenga said. “That’s concerning. We want to keep that talent here.”
Kooyenga said in recent years he believes “the momentum has shifted” as more companies move to Wisconsin.
“You’re more likely to keep the talent here if you have the jobs here,” Kooyenga said. “That’s why we bring companies like Oracle and Eli Lilly, and even companies that are already here, make sure that they expand here like Milwaukee Tool. It’s something that we need to step up on.”
Kooyenga said MMAC is planning to launch a program in the fall aimed at connecting professionals who have moved to the state and help them with networking and community engagement opportunities.
Wisconsin residents more educated that national average
However the report does point out that 43.4% of Wisconsin-born adults between ages 31 and 40 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is above the national average of 40.6%.
“While brain drain measures the educational gap between movers and entrants, it does not account for the volume of people moving,” the report states. “A state may lose more highly educated residents than it gains, but the impact is far greater when large numbers of people are leaving, especially when the state has a less educated population to begin with.”
The report states that between 2020 and 2024 the state had a net gain of roughly 2,900 people.
“Young professionals’ decisions to move to or from Wisconsin, or to settle in the state where they were born, are made based on many different factors,” the report states. “People move for jobs, relationships, personal reasons, family members, or climate – reasons which are not necessarily susceptible to policy changes.”
The report points out areas lawmakers can address such as lowering property taxes, reducing rising home prices by encouraging new construction and streamlining building permits.
“We have described how high educational attainment among adults who were born in Wisconsin and modest net domestic in-migration help to mitigate the impact of brain drain, but the net loss of educated, talented individuals has been a longstanding policy challenge for our state,” the report states.
“Addressing this problem will be critical for our long-term economic growth, and to ensure that Wisconsin will be able to compete in an increasingly digital and knowledge-oriented economy.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin’s ‘brain drain’ is 2nd worst in nation, hampering growth
Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
