From the Editor: The Vermont Roots Migration Project

The University of Vermont's Center for Research on Vermont has published an important demographic report, titled "The Vermont Roots Migration Project". The survey report was prepared by Drs. Cheryl Morse and Wendy Geller. If you are a local employer, you will want to read this important report to better understand the facts and trends behind Vermont migration. You will also want to read the report to better understand how to retain your skilled workforce against the many lures of out-of-state living. The May 2015 report bears both good news and bad news for Vermont's leaders—that is, the results show why people chose to leave Vermont (or choose to stay, for that matter) ; they tell a lot about who we are. Of the UVM survey respondents, 51.52 percent were leavers, 30.58 percent were stayers, and 17.9 percent were returnees to the state. Among the key findings of "The Vermont Roots Migration Project" report are several which echo what we've been seeing develop slowly over the past quarter of a century: Job opportunities, an ability to earn higher wages elsewhere, and urban variety affect the decision of those people who leave Vermont. There is a statistically significant relationship between education and state-of-residence choices (Vermont has an ongoing brain drain problem; educated people tend to be the ones leaving for greener pastures). Those people who choose to stay (or return) here choose to live in Chittenden and Washington counties instead of other counties. (This demographic fact has affected every state election outcome since the 1980s.) Vermont residents place a high value on landscape, family connections and community. Many people who move out-of-state express a homesickness for Vermont. There is a lot more data to pore through in "The Vermont Roots Migration Project" report, in fact, far too much to present in this commentary. But be that as it may, the UVM report ended up—at least for me—with more questions left unanswered. I came away with a sense that the survey authors were a tad too "touchy feely" in how they approached the research. I wish Morse and Geller had posed a few direct, hardball political questions to their survey respondents; it would have been fun to have the survey authors ask more wonkish questions: "Did the Vermont State Legislature's 2014 decision to increase your property taxes affect your decision to leave the state?" And of course, this report could never hope to explore why those who may have considered moving to Vermont (or considered relocating their businesses here) then decided to go elsewhere. (An aside: I am not sure I recall much mention of our northern weather—the state's high percentage of overcast skies, harsh winters and short summers—affecting stayers or leavers? Maybe weather simply isn't much of a factor?) Which brings me to this question: Why do I suspect that there are more systemic reasons behind what drives people from the state? The report includes various reasons why so-called leavers miss living in Vermont, such as "autumn leaves, rural towns, environmental stewardship and snow," etc. I get that on an emotional level, but I wonder at what point do pocket book matters trump aesthetics? Can rolling hills and bucolic country roads alone sustain enough motivation for one to continue to choose high taxes, low wages, and not much professional job opportunities compared to elsewhere? The Eagle

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From the Editor: The Vermont Roots Migration Project

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