Some New Evidence on Educatonal Selectivity in Migration to and From the South

Abstract
Analysis of the 1960 United States Census data on lifetime and recent migration confirms the general hypothesis that migration to and from the South is correlated with education. However, the correlation between migration and education varies by age, sex, and color. Gross migration, both to and from the South, is positively correlated with education and there is little difference between the educational level of in- and out-migrants. Adverse educational selectivity of net migration from the South is greatest among young people, among Negroes, and among males. Gross migration rates among the white population, both to and from the South, are greater than those among the nonwhite population at all educational levels; but net migration from the South is relatively greater in the nonwhite than in the white population because the gross movement of Negroes back to the South is relatively much less than that of white people. Regional differences in migration, in relation to education, reflect differences in industrialization and urbanization. Areas with large expanding metropolitan populations are attracting well-educated migrants, and rural areas of the South are continuing to lose more well-educated people than they gain.