Ohio's rural Gen Z faces job dilemma: Will talent stay or go?

Farah Siddiqi

New research indicated less than half of rural Gen Zers believe they can find a good job in their communities.

Despite Ohio's predominantly rural landscape, more than 50% of its residents live in just 10 of the 88 counties, including Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, Summit, and Stark.

Zach Hrynowski, senior education researcher for Gallup, noted while rural Gen Zers are not more likely to move than their urban peers, they often face limited access to certain opportunities.

"Possibly contrary to some of the narratives that were out at the time, we did not see any indication that they wanted to move away in large swaths," Hrynowski reported. "What we did notice was that there were factors about the community that would influence, one way or the other, whether a young person wanted to move."

Hrynowski stressed rural communities often struggle to provide adequate career and educational opportunities for young adults. However, unlike their urban counterparts, rural Gen Zers considering relocation are more likely to stay within their home state or region, highlighting strong community ties.

Hrynowski acknowledged while rural youth face unique challenges, so do their communities. Investments in smaller towns and cities require funding and dedicated efforts. He pointed out smaller rural schools often grapple with fewer resources, limiting their ability to offer a wide range of courses.

"Either because of enrollment numbers, or the availability of teachers to teach maybe a cutting-edge course on technology that would help people go into a semiconductor industry, which is one of these really fast-growing industries," Hrynowski explained. "If you are a rural community that doesn't have that, you might be questioning 'Is the juice worth the squeeze? Should we be directing resources towards these programs?'"

Hrynowski warned without efforts to retain local talent, rural America could experience a "brain drain," where skilled young individuals leave their communities, taking their talents elsewhere.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.