Half of the country’s population growth since 1970 has occurred in the South, according to the 2018 State of the South report. The study also shows economic growth in the region may stagnate if leaders don’t increase school spending.
The report examines educational outcomes in 13 states, including Georgia. As the South’s population is becoming more racially and economically diverse, economic mobility rates in most states remain low. Southern states rely on out-of-state candidates with college degrees to fill higher-paying jobs.
“We are importing talent rather than developing talent,” says David Dodson, president of MDC, the nonprofit that issued the report. “What that means is, our people who grow up native in the South are running the chance of losing out of getting that brass ring of living-wage work because we are substituting building the talent we need for attracting the talent we need, and long term, that’s not a successful proposition.”
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
