The U.S. Census Bureau reported last Monday that young, single college graduates migrated out of states like Pennsylvania and Ohio to southern and western states during the five-year period between 1995 and 2000.

Philadelphia leads the nation in net loss of young adults. Cities in New England and the Midwest also showed consistent decreases in the 25-to 39-year-old segment of the population.

Penn State graduates also share in this trend.

"Generally it's true that more and more of our students are being employed in areas south of here," said Jack Rayman, director of Penn State Career Services.

Rayman added that students with more years of education have a much greater likelihood of moving out of Pennsylvania upon graduation.

"Eighty-two percent of our doctorate students end up working out of state," he said.

Robert Lang, demographer with the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech University, said the reason for this out-migration of young singles from the Northeast is the higher appeal of cities in the South and West.

"The reason for movement to cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco is the quality of life and the fact that there are fun things to do more than anything else. As a college student, would you rather live in San Francisco and Los Angeles, or Philadelphia and Cleveland?" he said.

Lang said the appeal of these cities is based more upon climate and social desirability than on graduates' ability to get jobs in the South and West.

Nichesha Morris (senior-kinesiology) said she would definitely not stay in Pennsylvania after she graduates.

"I'm just tired of the area and I am looking into cities south of here," she said.

Despite the seemingly non-economic reasons for out-migration, the effects of fewer young graduates in Pennsylvania may have a strong impact on local business and the economy.

Gordon De Jong, professor of demographics and sociology, said he is concerned about the severity out-migration has on Pennsylvania.

"Brain drain is usually talked about with reference to the loss in highly skilled or highly educated workers from an area," he said.

The results of the brain drain are definitely noticeable in states like Pennsylvania, where there has been an out-migration of young people roughly since the end of World War II, he said.

"If you can't maintain and retain highly skilled workers, you can't attract high-tech firms to your state because they need to bring in workers from elsewhere. Pennsylvania is suffering because of this," De Jong said.

He added that this trend of outward migration is likely to continue into the foreseeable future.