So I was reading this article over the weekend about brain drain and can’t help but wonder how much of a real issue this is for Columbus. Perhaps the state of Ohio suffers a bit as a whole, but I’ve been hearing so much about Brain Drain in this city that I wonder if we’re not looking at a complete picture. For example, the article gives you these alarming stats:
- 41% of Ohio’s medical school graduates soon leave the state
- 37% with advanced degrees like doctoral diplomas depart Ohio within a half year
- According to the Ohio House, that number is 27% with bachelor’s degree’s.
What it doesn’t tell you is how many graduates are entering the state, and how much it offsets those numbers. I’m willing to guess that we’re probably not making gains overall, but I don’t think the numbers would look so drastic if all things were considered.
As for Columbus, I’d be surprised if we’re not making gains, at least in the short term. I talk to a lot of different people every day and very few of them are born and raised in Columbus. So many people are coming here for jobs after graduating from schools in Cleveland and Cincinnati and Akron and Dayton and Toledo and everywhere else. They may make a second move afterwards, but there is still a decent amount of flocking going on around here.
So this is just my two cents, but I think that “brain drain” is a relatively small problem in Columbus when compared to the rest of the state, just as the current economic hardships and housing market problems are really not as bad here as they are elsewhere.
Speaking as a 22 y/o college student with plans to graduate in the next few years, I can really see where Ohio is losing a lot of our advanced degrees. I have been on the fence for quite a while on where I want to go or if I want to stay.
Columbus has become more attractive as the years go on. Decent cost of living, easy to travel, fairly low prices to other large cities ($10/hr for parking in Chicago), good housing. I am planning on going into education, either high school or college level, so what better place than Columbus?
Ohio has lost some of its attractiveness, for me at least, due to the general handling of our states affairs. We can’t seem to solve school funding, but strippers? We took care of that in about 4 months. Billion dollar budget short fall? Can’t expand our lottery as a way to raise funds. Casinos? All they do is create poverty, addiction and moral decay. No, they don;t create jobs or bring millions in tax revenues. Now, what to do with City Center and how to revitalize downtown?
Although I am still waiting to see how the streetcars develop (yes I know, another street car thread), i am glad that Coleman has the foresight to consider new and fresh ideas…well at least to recent history.
There isn’t a “brain drain” in Columbus or in most of the cities that worry about such a thing. Ten years ago, those Columbus residents who are now 25-34 years old were, obviously enough, 15-24 years old. To measure “brain drain,” you need to compare the number of 15-24 year olds TEN YEARS AGO to the number of 25-34 year olds NOW. And in Columbus the Census confirms that more of that group has moved in than moved out. What confuses so many journalists and bloggers is that a whole lot fewer babies were born 25-34 years ago (the cohort of 25-34 year olds TODAY) than were born 35-44 years ago (the cohort of 25-34 year olds TEN YEARS AGO). Sorry, but journalists and bloggers generally (no offense) don’t really understand math. Nothing we’re doing today is driving young people out of Columbus or anywhere else.
I would love to see sources for your claims.
As to your claim that “nothing we’re doing today is driving young people out of Columbus…”, I can’t speak to anyone else of my age or generation, but as for me the main things that give me no reason to stay here:
1) Taxes. Ohio has one of the highest tax burdens and still hasn’t found a solution to our school funding.
2) Lack of vision. Take a look at cities like Portland. Wonderful example of embracing a variety of technologies and transit ideas to create a viable, well connected city. I love the Short North. I love the urban area of Columbus, but frankly rarely spend my time there. Traffic and congestion, not to mention parking, are horrible. I would love to spend my hard earned money on local business. It is discouraging to see so many people write letters to the Dispatch completely closing their minds to any real possibility of light rail or other options in Columbus that would help alleviate those issues.
3) I love the whole “Indie Arts Capital” thing in an attempt to rebrand us away from the cow town image, but we are what we are. Until the Buckeyes go back to the sports section, until our politicians stand up against the slack jawed yokels that try to thwart and bully every attempt at progress or rational idea, we will be the cow town, cow state. I’m sorry. It is refreshing to see Walker and all that are at CU and Consider Biking and the numerous blogs offering such great visions for what Columbus and this state can become, but it is an uphill battle. I hate to generalize, but I have to be honest.
I have a lot of hope for this city and hope to raise a family here, but that remains to be seen.
I think we’re talking past each other. Walker’s question was whether the much ballyhooed “brain drain” of young people from Columbus is fact or fiction. The answer is that it’s fiction. A quick check of census data (available for free on the Census Bureau’s American Factfinder service) confirms that Columbus hasn’t been “drained” of young people at all; it has steadily gained young people since 2000 just as it steadily gained young people between 1990 and 2000. Some leave as others arrive, and the new arrivals consistently outnumber the departed. I’m happy to see that you’re involved in our civic debates about transit and urbanism. Keep it up, wherever you ultimately decide to make a home. Just don’t give up on Columbus because of a “brain drain” myth.
No, Columbus has a lot going for it.
It was nice to see an editorial from (I believe) Surly Girl in the Dispatch supporting the street car and the number (80 of her own staff) of cars it would reduce. Her patrons also seem in support, according to the letter.
Granted to get to the editorial section online, I had to scroll down past the sports section that dominated the online front page.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not going to leave just because everyone else is doing it. I have very serious issues with the way things are run in this state and city. On principle, as a very staunch libertarian, I don’t quite agree with the Coleman “voters/people be damned- come hell or high water” approach to redoing downtown and Columbus. However, it’s about time from an economic standpoint to get something down. I work down town on weekends and it is embarrassing to be the only thing really open in the very heart of downtown. If someone asks me for a place to eat, I have to direct them south to GV or north to SN.
Just look at our General Assembly. I probably have become too jaded and cynical working around them over the last few years, but from an economic standpoint we would probably be a lot better off as a state if they took the same approach Coleman is using. City Center Casino, anyone?
It gets very frustrating to live in a city and see how much potential we have and yet listen to the slack jawed yokels (with apologies to the Simpsons) try to turn us into Mayberry.
This is a bit off topic, but the Warehouse Cafe is open downtown on weekends. There’s an informal ColumbusUnderground.com meetup there every Saturday for breakfast between 10am and Noon. Sometimes there will be 5 of us, sometimes there will be 20 of us, but it always makes for some great conversation.
We’ll see more businesses downtown when we have more people making the effort to support the ones who already exist there. You both should join us this weekend!
Sounds great Walker, I may be there Saturday. If I can, it works out perfect since I have to work downtown Saturday.