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Do Earnings by College Major Affect Graduate Migration?

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  • Winters, John V.

    (Iowa State University)

Abstract

College graduates are considerably more mobile than non-graduates, and previous literature suggests that the difference is at least partially attributable to college graduates being more responsive to employment opportunities in other areas. However, there exist considerable differences in migration rates by college major that have gone largely unexplained. This paper uses microdata from the American Community Survey to examine how the migration decisions of young college graduates are affected by earnings in their college major. Results indicate that higher major-specific earnings in an individual's state of birth reduce out-migration suggesting that college graduates are attracted toward areas that especially reward the specific type of human capital that they possess.

Suggested Citation

  • Winters, John V., 2015. "Do Earnings by College Major Affect Graduate Migration?," IZA Discussion Papers 9512, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9512
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    Cited by:

    1. Winters, John V., 2020. "Problem on the Plains: College Earnings Premiums in Small Metropolitan Areas," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 51(1), December.
    2. Zhengyu Cai & Heather M. Stephens & John V. Winters, 2019. "Motherhood, migration, and self-employment of college graduates," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 611-629, October.
    3. John V. Winters, 2022. "No Place Like Home: Place-Based Attachments and Regional Science," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 52(2), pages 159-175.
    4. Chantal Oggenfuss & Stefan C. Wolter, 2019. "Are they coming back? The mobility of university graduates in switzerland [Kehren sie Zurück? Die Mobilität von Hochschulabsolventinnen und -Absolventen in der Schweiz]," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 39(2), pages 189-208, October.
    5. Yilin Zhao & Feng He & Ying Feng, 2022. "Research on the Current Situation of Employment Mobility and Retention Rate Predictions of “Double First-Class” University Graduates Based on the Random Forest and BP Neural Network Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-22, July.
    6. John V. Winters, 2020. "In-State College Enrollment and Later Life Location Decisions," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(4), pages 1400-1426.
    7. Maki Kato, 2019. "Effect of academic field and gender on college-bound migration in Japan," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(2), pages 351-379, April.
    8. Michael Haan & Hyeongsuk Jin & Taylor Paul, 2023. "The Geographical Mobility of Journeypersons in Canada: Evidence from Administrative Data," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-25, April.
    9. Tyler Ransom, 2021. "Selective Migration, Occupational Choice, and the Wage Returns to College Majors," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 142, pages 45-110.
    10. Yilin Zhao & Feng He & Ying Feng, 2022. "Research on the Industrial Structure Upgrading Effect of the Employment Mobility of Graduates from China’s “Double First-Class” Colleges and Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    11. Matthew M. Brooks, 2021. "Countering Depopulation in Kansas: An Assessment of the Rural Opportunity Zone Program," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(2), pages 137-148, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    college graduates; college major; graduate migration; human capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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