Is the "Brain Drain" a Myth?

Haga, C. (2010, January 30). Expert: Brain drain is a myth. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, pp. A1, A10.

This article on the front page of today’s Fargo Forum caught my eye since it relates to the book we will soon be discussing, “Hollow Out The Middle”. Entitled “Expert: Brain Drain Is A Myth” the article claims that we should not worry that small, rural towns across the country are being emptied of their best and brightest young adults who seek better jobs, educational opportunities and more exciting experiences (“brain drain”). Ben Winchester, a research fellow in Extension Center for Community Vitality at the University of Minnesota, studied the changing demographics in a nine county in west-central Minnesota. He found that the alarming phenomenon of brain drain is counter balanced by the movement of a somewhat older group (35-44) from urban areas back to rural areas. Those migrating back have college degrees, good incomes, school -aged children and are often assuming active roles in community service. A similar demographic trend is occurring in Nebraska. The appeal of a rural versus a metropolitan, community for this age group seems to be lower cost of living, a simpler paced lifestyle, and the safety and security provided by a smaller community. From my experience, many of the adults who return to rural America consider it a better place to raise their families. Winchester asserts that we need to refocus our thoughts and consider the current changing demographics as a “brain gain” rather than a “brain drain”, suggesting that it presents rural communities opportunities for growth.

The article included a response to Winchester’s research by Richard Rathge, director of the North Dakota Data Center at NDSU. I strongly agree with his warning that it is a mistake to compare the demographic trend data of Minnesota with what is happening in North Dakota. Because it has many lakes, recreation, and scenic attractions, Minnesota has much more appeal to this population group than North Dakota. After all, it seems that most any “rural” Minnesota community is only minutes away from a Target, shopping center, and popular restaurant, which some of the people I associate with would argue are feasible criteria for the measurement of “rural”. Who wouldn’t want to live on a lake yet have all the conveniences of the “urban” city nearby. The same amenities seem to be true in states like Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. As a person who grew up in “rural” North Dakota, I know that the rural scenarios of the more popular scenic states are very different than those of the plains area. Of course, the next question would be why Nebraska is finding similar data. I think Winchester’s assessment findings are significant and call for further research to determine if indeed the study results are consistent with rural demographic trends across the nation.

Carla Gross