As we consider the challenges facing the City of Fresno—our evolving economy, housing shortages, infrastructure demands, public safety—one critical issue lies at the intersection of these areas, but has long been overlooked: our brain drain.
“Brain drain” refers to the migration of educated, skilled individuals away from their home region in search of better opportunities elsewhere. When left unchecked, this trend will hinder a city’s economic growth and development.
Although no recent empirical study has focused specifically on Fresno, the 2018 Bloomberg Brain Drain Index ranked neighboring Hanford, CA, as the number one city in the U.S. experiencing this issue. The trends are similar in cities across the Central Valley, including Fresno. Our public education system invests in bright young minds, but too many of them leave to seek better opportunities in other parts of California…