WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rural Gen Zers are 19 percentage points less likely than those living in urban areas to strongly agree or agree that they can find a good job where they live, and 16 points less likely to say they can get a college degree. Workforce preparation opportunities are also perceived to be in low supply for rural youth, with only 38% saying that they are (or will be) able to find an internship, compared with over half (55%) of their urban peers. When looking for job training, 74% of urban Gen Zers strongly agree or agree that they could access the needed training, compared with 62% of rural Gen Zers.
As part of its ongoing research into the experiences of Gen Z, Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation asked Gen Zers (12- to 27-year-olds) across the United States about their satisfaction with the areas that they grew up in and their interest in moving away from their hometowns. Rural areas are defined as counties outside of metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas, which generally include an urban area of at least 10,000 or more inhabitants (based on data from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget). Urban areas are defined as all other counties: those within a metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area. By recognizing the needs and aspirations of rural Gen Zers, policymakers and local leaders can better support initiatives that help retain young talent and strengthen rural economies.
Parents of 12- to 18-year-old Gen Zers hold concerns that are similar to their children’s about job and educational opportunities in their local area. Just over half of parents of young Gen Zers in rural areas (55%) believe their child can accomplish their long-term goals in their current area, compared with 81% of urban parents who have a young Gen Z child.[1]
Among Gen Zers overall, rural Gen Zers are only moderately less satisfied than their peers with the area where they live, despite large gaps in perceived career and learning opportunities. Sixty-five percent of rural Gen Zers are somewhat or extremely satisfied, compared with 74% of young people in urban areas.
More Than Three-Quarters of Adult Gen Zers Want to Relocate
More than three in four adult members of Generation Z (77%) say they would like to move -- to a different town in the same state, a different state or a different country -- if they had the opportunity. Rural Gen Zers want to move at a rate similar to that of their urban peers (82% vs. 77%, respectively). However, rural Gen Zers who want to move are more likely than their urban peers to want to stay closer to home -- 49% of rural Gen Zers want to relocate within their current state, compared with 31% of urban Gen Z adults.
Gen Zers’ Desire to Move Away Is Influenced by Job Opportunities
Gen Zers’ desire to move is linked to the opportunities they see in their current location. Among all adult Gen Zers, moving intentions are most strongly linked to whether their area has good job opportunities, shares their values, and is a safe place to live (out of a list of 12 topics). The link between perceived opportunities and desire to move is seen in both urban and rural Gen Zers.
Data from adult Gen Zers[2] who have moved away from where they went to high school further highlight the importance of college and career opportunities in Gen Zers’ decision-making about relocating. Among Gen Z adults who have moved away, the most common reasons to leave were to attend college (57%) or to pursue a good job (34%).
Bottom Line
The availability of career and educational opportunities plays a critical role in young people’s desire to relocate, but rural communities face an uphill battle in providing these opportunities to the local talent they want to retain. Rural Gen Zers are less likely than their peers in urban areas to say they have access to college and career opportunities in their current communities, particularly when it comes to finding a good job in their current area.
But these greater concerns about college access and career opportunities don’t entirely outweigh Gen Zers’ ties to their communities, as rural Gen Zers say they’d like to leave their current town or community at rates that are similar to those for urban Gen Zers. When they do consider moving, rural Gen Zers are more likely than their urban counterparts to want to stay within their home state or region, suggesting community ties are an important factor in their decision. Expanding access to job training, career opportunities and higher education in rural areas could help lessen the barriers for rural Gen Zers who want to stay in -- or close to -- their communities.
[1] Full item wording: “Do you think that your child will be able to accomplish their long-term goals if they stay in your current town, city, or area? Yes, definitely; Yes, probably; No, probably not; No, definitely not.”
[2] Adult members of Gen Z are those aged 19 or older or 18 years old and not enrolled in K-12 education.
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Learn more about how the Walton Family Foundation Voices of Gen Z survey works.
