Migration of Recent College Graduates: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Various states are considering how to retain and attract recent college graduates. Such efforts involve identifying an area's relative strengths and weaknesses and taking actions as needed. Surprisingly, little systematic evidence exists on the factors influencing location decisions of recent graduates. This study makes use of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth from 1979 to 1996 to examine cross-state migration in the 5-year period after completion of schooling. The study first presents information on geographic mobility of young adults by educational attainment and region of the country. Next, the study briefly outlines previous explanations for migration in the general population and investigates their applicability both to young college graduates and - for comparison - to other young adults without four years of college. The study concludes with some explanations for the observed movement of recent college graduates into and out of certain regions of the country.