New Study Finds "Brain Drain" Among College Educated Adults

Thursday, August 13th, 2026 -- 7:00 AM

(Wisconsin Radio Network) A new study finds Wisconsin has a “brain drain” among college educated adults, according to the Wisconsin Radio Network.

“We found that almost 60% of Wisconsin-born adults who are in their 30s and now live in another state have a bachelor’s or advanced degree, compared to only about 45% of those who were born in a different state but now live in Wisconsin and are in their 30s,” said Wisconsin Policy Forum Research Director Joe Peterangelo.

That gap of 14.6% is the second largest in the nation behind North Dakota. Researchers determined this brain drain dates to at least 2009, when Wisconsin had the nation’s worst brain drain of college educated adults. Minnesota is the top destination for those college grads who leave, but Wisconsin gets more from Illinois than it loses to that state.

Peterangelo says because Wisconsin overperforms on the educational attainment of people born here, the state still ranks somewhere in the middle for residents with at least a bachelor’s degree.

He says there are various strategies that could be considered to help Wisconsin retain more of its home grown college grads.

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