In a recent post, we explored a national dataset published by Harvard University and the U.S. Census Bureau on young adult migration patterns across the country. The original dataset and study can be accessed at migrationpatterns.org.
The migration dataset features a fascinating sub-component worth highlighting here: the rate at which a commuter zone “retains” its young adults from the time they are children to young adulthood. The retention rate can be thought of as the percent of young adults from a certain commuter zone who chose to remain in that same commuter zone upon reaching their 20s.
The interactive map on the study’s website does allow a user to explore these data, but one is unable to view all retention rates at once to consider how they vary across regions. We have aggregated and visualized these data in an interactive map of our own, shown below. The darker regions show a higher rate of retention of young adults, corresponding to a stronger “pull” on children here to remain.
We note the commuter zone boundaries as delineated in the study don’t neatly align with state boundaries. To be exhaustive, we have included all commuter zones with at least some footprint in Georgia (consider that the Jacksonville FL and Chattanooga TN zones are included). Other zones, such as Augusta and LaGrange, feature zones which spill into neighboring states.
Lower retention rates are shown to be more prominent in the state’s rural regions. Indeed, the lowest retention rate in the state is in the sparsely-populated Hinesville commuter zone, sandwiched between Savannah and Brunswick along the coast. However, greater population alone does not account for an area’s higher retention rate. Consider the Chattanooga (TN & GA) commuter zone, which features the highest rate statewide at nearly 72%. This rate is nearly 3 percentage points greater than the Atlanta commuter zone but with a fraction of the overall population. The second-highest retention rate statewide is Jacksonville (FL & GA) with a rate of nearly 70%. Atlanta and nearby Rome feature the 3rd and 4th highest retention rates state wide, respectively.
While the dataset falls short of providing reasons for migration, we can surmise (even anecdotally) that young adults are drawn to greater opportunity with regards to career, education, or family. It is clear that the rural northern and southern portions of the state have historically been unable to keep their young adults from moving elsewhere due to a combination of these (and other) factors. Explore the full map below to see rates statewide: