MONTPELIER, Vt., March 4 (UPI) -- Vermont is losing its young people and has the second-oldest population in the country.
The state has the lowest birth rate in the country and the highest percentage of high school graduates leaving to attend college elsewhere, the New York Times reports. If the trend keeps up, demographers say Vermont will have only two people of working age for every retiree by 2030.
"There's an exodus of young people," Gov. Jim Douglas said. "It's dramatic. We need to reverse it. The consequences of not acting are severe."
Douglas hopes to attract high-tech businesses and high-paying jobs that will keep young Vermonters home and lure others in. A few year ago, the state was growing faster than average, attracting people who wanted a rural life.
Now, many young people say Vermont, with few immigrants and no large cities, does not provide the diversity they crave. The mountains -- and low real estate prices -- do draw in retirees.
