Issue Position: Young People Leaving Vermont

Issue Position

Young people leaving Vermont. Is the young man who created Bridj part of the exodus of young people and rich people from Vermont? That very same week as the two meetings I have described, I became aware of two different pieces of research which, independently one from the other, show that apparently the exodus is a myth. Young people are mobile, everywhere, and they cross state lines in both directions. Those under the age of 26 are most likely to move out of Vermont, but it is that same age group which is the largest group moving in. And the well-to-do? Apparently, it is actually folks with the lowest incomes who are most likely to leave. The bottom line is that, all told, apparently, 4% of Vermonters move in and out, while 96% "stay put." Check out Public Assets "Migration Update" or "Vermont's Migration Patterns: A Cause of Social and Economic Differences," a paper just published by two St. Michael's College professors in the Journal of the New England-St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society.

Source