California is a hub for all kinds of opportunities, with the largest tech hub like Silicon Valley and major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Golden State is a popular destination for many in an attempt to establish a career and put down roots. The benefits of living in California are valuable, and the costs of living here reflect that. Generally speaking, California is an expensive place to live compared to other states. Despite this, California is irresistible to many students; filled with universities and colleges, students from around the world come to pursue an education.
Over the past few years, there has been an ongoing trend of losing educated residents due to relocation to other states. Although a flow of residents coming in and out of the state seems normal, California is experiencing what is referred to as a “brain drain.” A “brain drain” is an emigration of highly trained or educated people from a particular location. Higher-educated residents decide to move to other places due to California’s increasing living expenses. There is a net loss of college graduates with the peak being almost 90,000 or more college graduates. This “brain drain” that California is experiencing is significant, but it is temporary, and the equilibrium will be restored eventually. The impact this phenomenon will have will be mainly seen in taxes, revenue and voting.
There is a correlation between education and voting patterns. If people leave, an impact is made through what are now absent votes. This influences policies and the leaders chosen to execute certain governmental roles and responsibilities within the state.
In addition to voting, state taxes are affected as well. Individuals with higher-paying jobs contribute more in taxes, and with higher education people leaving, taxes will increase due to inflation. The increase of taxes to make up for the loss as a result of the “brain drain” will put a strain on lower and middle-income Californians. An analysis done on increasing the corporate tax found that within 10 years, 66.3% of the tax burden will fall on lower and middle-income taxpayers. The effect of people leaving impacts taxes and voting far more than it affects housing prices.
The effect of the “brain drain” on different aspects of California living tells what role and importance these college graduates hold in California. Although the effects are undeniable, the “brain drain” seems temporary. The housing prices are still fairly high, which reflects the unwavering prices regardless of the “brain drain.”
California actually added more homes to its housing market, with the average living cost being $791,490 for a single-family home. The evidence of unwavering housing costs proves that the demand for living in California is still high regardless of the “brain drain” experienced. The effects of the “brain drain” on voting numbers, taxes and revenue are due to college graduates leaving. Still, there are so many educated people searching for opportunities with the same kinds of academic and professional backgrounds looking to live in California. The number of college students graduating each year outweighs the 90,000 people leaving the state, with the college graduation rates for the 2022-2023 academic year being 56% from a total of 2,555,136 students. The equilibrium between the people leaving and those moving to California balances out the “brain drain” and furthermore reverses the effects this has on the state.
