Educated Millennials Leaving Pennsylvania in Droves

At present, Pennsylvania seems to be having an issue attracting and retaining educated millennials, according to a report from the Independent Fiscal Office, writes Katie Meyer for NewsWorks.

According to data from 2015, the last recorded year, more college-educated Pennsylvanians left the State than moved in. In fact, the figures show that while the state gained close to 34,000 college-educated millennials, 47,000 moved away.

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According to the report, there are a number of reasons for this trend such as college students moving back home after graduating. However, no matter the cause, IFO Director Matthew Knittel, is concerned.

“The net outflow of young individuals and college graduates would have a negative impact on the economic growth for various reasons,” he said.

“They tend to be higher-educated, and work in jobs that tend to be a little better than average.”

Also, depending on the metric used, Pennsylvania has either the second or the fifth oldest population in the country. This also raises concerns that the labor force could actually contract over the next decade.

The numbers for 2016 confirm this. Instead of the slight population growth that had been projected by IFO, in fact, numbers actually contracted.

“This out-migration is contributing to that, and of course, that will limit economic growth,” said Knittel.

Read more about the worrying trend at NewsWorks by clicking here.

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