Hunter
08/04/25
A newly-released report confirms what Iowa economists and elected officials have been saying; the state is experiencing significant “brain drain.”
The Gazette reports a new report published last week by Common Sense Institute Iowa, a nonpartisan research organization and pro-business, Iowa-based think tank, found that in 2024 Iowa had the nation’s seventh-highest cumulative net out-migration of young people ages 25 to 29 with a bachelor’s degree and the highest such figure in the Midwest.
An annual average of nearly 1,000 Iowans aged 25 to 29 years — of all education levels — left the state from 1982 to 2024, according to the CSI report, a total of more than 41,000.
In 2023 alone, the report shows Iowa lost a net of over 3400 college-educated young adults between ages 25-29. The projected impact over that group’s working years means a loss of $17.6 billion in lost cumulative personal income and a loss of nearly $384,000 in lost tax revenue per person. It also means a lost investment of over a quarter million dollars in combined public and private dollars towards an Iowa-raised student who attends kindergarten through graduation from an Iowa public university.
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Workforce Director Jodi Schafer says the area has lost 8200 residents since 2021, making it harder to replace retiring workers. She said if the trend continues, they will face some real workforce challenges.
A link to the report is available here: https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/iowa/research/workforce/people-iowas-most-valuable-export