Northern Minnesotans who go to college within the region are more likely to find a job and stay there.
That's one of the findings of a new series of studies on the paths young people in rural communities are taking after high school.
The studies come from the Center for Rural Policy and Development, which tracked the five-year trajectory of high school graduates in Minnesota rural communities from 2008 to 2023. To complete its research, the center examined high school, college and employment records from 414,180 individuals statewide.
Kelly Asche is a senior researcher for the Center for Rural Policy and Development. He said the studies were precipitated by changing workforce needs over the past few decades, as the focus of economic developers shifted from creating jobs to attracting workers, especially young people.
One of the biggest findings is the connection throughout Minnesota between regional education and the retention of local workers.
For example, the study found 51% of northeast Minnesotans who stayed in the region for college remained there for work. Conversely, only 18.3% of northeast Minnesotans who traveled elsewhere in the state for school returned to their home region afterward.
Northern Minnesotans are also staying in the region more often than their southern counterparts, Asche said, leading to a compounding "loyalty" to home.
"In Northern Minnesota, there seemed to be — particularly [in the] northeast — a lot more ... connection to the local workforce," he said. "Northern Minnesota just tended to have higher shares of their graduates having sustained workforce participation in the region, just less pull out of the region, which is really good to see.”
According to the study, over half of both northwest and northeast individuals completed college of any kind in their region. Asche said this is likely because of the "pull" of the Twin Cities for individuals farther south.
Asche said the findings come at an important time as some colleges in the Northland are eyeing massive budget cuts. He said this could force more people out of the region for good.
"Rural areas are always the first ones to pop up as getting axed and closed," he said. "But what this research shows is that regional access to post-secondary credentialing is really important for the rural labor force in filling those needs. It's about access."
Another major takeaway is the importance of career exploration in high school, like taking professional or technical classes. The study identified these classes as the "one consistent lever" of ensuring regional workforce participation, regardless of college degree.
Asche also said professional and technical classes had a "protective" effect on young workers that kept them from falling into patterns of inconsistent work.
The center is releasing reports in regional pieces from September to November. The northwest and northeast reports are available now, and the central report, including Cass and Crow Wing counties, will be released Nov. 16.
The center is also hosting a statewide tour to talk about the study's findings. The tour picks back up in Chisholm on Thursday, Oct. 22. The tour then will hit Roseau on Monday, and Mahnomen on Tuesday, and Staples on Nov. 17.
More information about the study, including tour dates, is available at the Center for Rural Policy and Development website.
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