Millennials; it’s the group of people born between 1981 and 2000, or those considered to be either adults or young adults.
No matter what you may think of that generation, they are our future. They will be the ones to pay future ad valorem taxes, raise future families and run future companies.
If you live in Mississippi and you have an aversion to that generation, you’re in luck; they are fleeing the Magnolia State, more so than any other state in the nation.
According to estimates by the Census, close to four percent of the millennial population in Mississippi found somewhere else to live, mostly urban areas. Other states in the nation also saw a decline in the number of younger adults, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico. The last three saw millennial population decreases of two percent or more.
Outside of experiencing the “city life” many millennials quoted better job opportunities and less racism and bigotry as reasons for leaving Mississippi, according to a story published by Mississippi Today. Combine those factors with the steadily decreasing funding for education, and you have a recipe for major population reductions across the state. What young family would want to raise a family in a state that consistently under-funds public education?
Within Pearl River County our residents voice more than just a lack of job opportunities on social media. Many profiles are filled with complaints about the lack of something for their children to do to keep them busy, especially during the summer months. With very few summer programs available, bored young people might turn to malicious acts to occupy their day.
Mississippi as a whole needs to build on its motto of “hospitality,” and not just to those who are retired, but also to those still working toward that goal.