Migration Behaviors and Educational Attainment of Metro and Non‐Metro Youth☆

Abstract While research has consistently demonstrated a positive relationship between migration from rural areas and educational attainment, it is unclear whether migration is the driver of educational attainment or merely a mediator. The “rural brain drain” perspective suggests that young people leave rural areas if they have greater academic potential than their peers. A “migration gain” perspective implies that people, regardless of prior achievements, may move to invest in human capital, thereby gaining more education than those who do not move. This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 97 to test these competing predictions with multilevel/mixed‐effects models. Consistent with previous research, the study found that youth attained the least education if they stayed in non‐metro areas. By contrast, they gained more education if they moved not just from but also to non‐metro areas, consistent with the “migration gain” hypothesis. Academic performance alone did not explain the association between education and migration, contradicting the “rural brain drain” theory. However, academic performance and college enrollment, which are also influenced by available educational opportunities, together explain the association between migration and education significantly, suggesting that the educational outcomes of migrants are influenced by a combination of individual and institutional characteristics.