YOUNGSTOWN-WARREN As for educated young, area shows a great loss

Only 1.1 percent of local residents are young, single and college-educated.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- When it comes to keeping its single, college-educated young people, the Youngstown-Warren area falls below the midpoint among a list of the nation's 276 metropolitan areas.
Falling in the 197th spot, the area saw an 18 percent decline of this subgroup from 1995 to 2000, according to recently released U.S. Census data.
Dr. Tony Atwater, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Youngstown State University, said the figures are not unlike data from the past five decades that show a decline in college education and a drop in per capita income.
Alarming dive
"Quite frankly, it's alarming," he said. "We're in a nose dive, and in order to get out of that nose dive, there has to be a concerted effort on the part of the elementary and secondary education front and the higher education front.
We've got to stand back for a second and view the preschool to bachelor's degree system "as a system that has a direct correlation to the work force and the strength of the economy," he continued.
Atwater said a critical component of the effort must be more support from state legislators.
"The state of Ohio must support higher education appropriately if this trend is to be reversed in a positive way," he said. "My feeling, very frankly, is that state support for higher education has been woefully inadequate for some time. ... We're talking about a work force that is less educated than some other states, and it's a problem, a serious problem.
"We need strong support of higher education to produce the high-tech jobs that will provide jobs for our graduates."
Moved in, moved out
The census figures show that 1,150 young, single, college-educated people moved into the Youngstown-Warren area from 1995 to 2000, while 2,688 moved out, netting a loss of 1,538.
The group is made up of unmarried people ages 25 to 39, who have attained a bachelor's degree or higher.
Overall, the population of this group fell from 8,137 in 1995 to 6,674 in 2000.
The 2000 number represents 1.1 percent of the total metropolitan area population of 594,746.
Across Ohio, the state gained 32,053 young, single, college-educated residents in the five-year span, but lost 50,462, resulting in a net loss of 18,409.
None of Ohio's metropolitan areas experienced a gain. Net losses were also found in Cleveland-Akron, Cincinnati-Hamilton, Ky., Columbus, Canton-Massillon, Lima, Mansfield, Dayton-Springfield, Toledo, Parkersburg, W. Va.- Marietta, and Steubenville-Weirton, W.Va.
More diversity needed
Atwater said the economy is becoming one that is service-oriented and information-oriented. For areas to attract the subgroup, they must become more diversified in such areas, both in terms of jobs and education.
"Young people who have bachelor's degrees are going to be looking for employment that is attractive and is going to pay them a high wage," Atwater said. "If this region doesn't offer that, they'll have no option but to look in other areas."
viviano@vindy.com