by Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner
“Brain drain” is loosening its grip on Nebraska, although some new Census data shows positive strides likely are more evident among freshly minted college graduates than young talent with more experience.
The most recent portrait of so-called brain drain — when educated people leave the state for better employment opportunities or the social or political climate elsewhere — comes from the latest American Community Survey estimates.
That information, covering 60 months through 2024, was derived from an ongoing survey separate from the broader statewide population estimates the Census Bureau made public earlier this week.
Experts at the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, which acts as the official census liaison, said Friday that the latest data set shows Nebraska trending “in the right direction” when it comes to retaining educated residents with a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher.
Spotlight helps turn tide
According to the UNO analysis, the state in 2024 lost a net 3,075 people 25 years and older who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
In the prior year, the net loss of that similarly educated age group was 3,622, and the year before that, 4,610, which was a low point looking back at least 15 years.
Center director Josie Schafer said that while Nebraska remains far from a brain “gain” scenario, two years of consecutive improvement gives her team confidence that the long-standing “drain” is subsiding.
In exploring why, Schafer, whose office advises state lawmakers and policymakers, noted increased focus that business and government leaders have placed on talent retention to address workforce woes.
Chambers of Commerce and local governments, for instance, have been surveying constituents to better understand what draws and repels people. The Greater Omaha Chamber is commissioning a deeper brain-drain focused study, following a “Barometer” report that ranked the Omaha metro sixth lowest of 23 peer metros nationwide for jobs, talent and investment.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jim Pillen touted a pact with the University of Nebraska to offer every Nebraska student with a 33 or better ACT score a full NU scholarship with housing, upping a previous year’s offer. Last year, criticism amplified as the state cut back internship opportunities that supporters said help retain young talent.
“There’s been a lot of focused efforts on turning the tide on brain drain,” said Schafer.
Examining out-migration data by age groups adds further context, and points to retention improving more among recent college graduates than professionals in the early-30s group, Schafer said.
Consider: In 2021, the largest group exiting Nebraska for other states represented ages 20 through 24, she said. In the most recent 2024 data, the largest out-migration shifted to people ages 30 through 34.
She said those numbers, reinforced by other data and research, points to Nebraska falling short on career growth and high-paying job opportunities.
“That group of people, 30-to-34 year-olds with bachelor’s degrees, are saying, ‘Hmm, I don’t think I have growth potential here. I’m gonna leave for another state.’”
The UNO analysis shows brain drain to be a common drag in the Midwest.
Nebraska’s domestic out-migration tally per 10,000 people with a bachelor’s degree or more was similar to Iowa’s, according to the ACS estimates. South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Wyoming all reported brain drain, but at lower rates than Nebraska. Colorado saw brain gain.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.
Photo courtesy of Greater Omaha Chamber and originally appeared in Nebraska Examiner
