Tourism is often promoted as an effective economic development strategy by regional planners and politicians in the United States. Among the potential benefits cited are job creation and tourism’s ability to create a positive public image for a region. Critics argue that tourism is not a panacea, but instead creates jobs that are low paying, offer few benefits, and are only part-time or seasonal work.

Retaining college graduates is widely thought to be an important part of how cities and regions maintain their competitive edge — the theory is that more educated workers means greater human capital, which leads to economic growth. Although data has been compiled on educational attainment by many states and regions, there has not been sustained research on the impact that colleges and universities have.