U.S. Cities Gaining The Best Brains - And The Ones That Are Losing Them

The Bloomber Brain Concentration Index has come up with a list of the most popular American cities where graduates and/or professionals in science, math, and engineering gravitate to. These are the places that are on the top tier of the 'Brain Gain' category. The Index also names their counterparts which are losing their talents in these same disciplines to nearby, or even far-away, regions that are offering a better compensation package, job opportunities, and a brighter future.

Bloomberg's number one Brain Gain city is  surprisingly not San Jose, California, the haven of tech geniuses and pioneers of the future who have made themselves a home in Silicon Valley. Boulder, Colorado tops the list because of the support of the public sector like establishments such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Bouler Economic Council. More than any other location, it has the top concentration per capita of science,engineering, and math graduates who are looking for work, or specialists in these fields who are being recruited for one. The business sector has built its strength not just on IT and software, but also on aero-space, bio-science, and renewable energy.

News Channel 13 then lists down the top four cities that follow Boulder as the hub where scientists, engineers, and mathematicans flock to. San Jose, California follows at number two. Ann Arbor, Michigan is number three. Ithaca, New York and Washington, D.C. land on the number four and five slots, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, are the top five cities that are losing the cream of their technical crop: Cumberland, Maryland; Pueblo, Colorado; Valdosia, Georgia; Goldsboro, North California, and Muskegon, Michigan. The impact of brain drain on the economy is enormous: the inability to create new jobs, a lower tax base, and infrastructure that could not be upgraded due to the lack of finances.