The Strada Institute for the Future of Work released a comprehensive study examining migration patterns among college-educated workers, based on survey data from 100,000 individuals. The research aimed to address a significant information gap for policymakers seeking to understand why some graduates remain in their home states while others relocate.
The study found that institutional type is a strong predictor of post-graduation migration. Sixty-two percent of workers who earned degrees from public institutions remained in their home state for college and work, compared to 44 percent of private, nonprofit college graduates. Researchers attribute this difference to tuition subsidies offered by public colleges to in-state students, which incentivize both enrollment and long-term residency. Private institutions typically lack such pricing advantages for regional students.
Institutional selectivity also influences retention rates. Approximately two-thirds of workers graduating from broad-access public universities stayed in their home state, while roughly half of those from highly selective public institutions remained. For private colleges, the pattern was more pronounced: 60 percent of graduates from the least selective institutions stayed homegrown, compared to just 24 percent from the nation’s most selective private colleges.
Overall, two-thirds of college-educated workers live in the state where they attended high school. Among those, 55 percent attended college in their home state, while an additional 12 percent returned after studying elsewhere. The survey identified economic opportunity as the primary reason for interstate migration, cited by approximately half of those who relocated, followed by housing and community factors at 20 percent and family considerations at 14 percent.
Retention rates varied substantially across states. Michigan reported 72 percent homegrown college-educated workers, while Colorado, despite high overall college attainment, had only 36 percent. The report recommends that states and higher education institutions use these findings to inform workforce development and education funding policies, particularly by investing in broad-access institutions that serve local populations and connect graduates with regional employment opportunities.
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