He’s a management consultant for defense and aerospace firms. She’s the author of an award-winning young adult novel, as well as a lawyer who drafts publishing contracts for authors, literary agents and publishers.

They both grew up in Alabama. They now live in Washington, D.C.

Phillip and Sarah Henson left the state six years ago, and they are both examples of Alabama’s “brain drain” – when its highly educated population moves to work in other states.

Phillip grew up in Louisville in Barbour County, while Sarah is originally from Gadsden.

“The opportunities for my job weren’t really there in Alabama,” Sarah said. “I work with publishers and literary agents in New York. I didn’t get nearly as much work there as I do with D.C. behind my address.”

A recent study found Alabama 10th among the states suffering the largest “brain drain” losses.

The report was compiled by Hire A Helper, which tracks moving data across the U.S. The study’s authors found the Southeast and parts of the Midwest accounted for the most losses among college educated residents.

That study is by no means the only one.

Retain Alabama, a 2021 report, said Alabama keeps only about 20% of its out-of-state university students one year after graduation. The rate is better with in-state students, with about two-thirds sticking around one year after graduation.

But that’s still not great. Forbes ranked Alabama the third-worst state using this metric.

The reasons that native-born Alabamians, and those who come to the state to receive their college educations, move away after graduation are many and varied.

The Hensons say they’re not itching to move back, either.

“We really like D.C.,” Phillip, 40, said. “We like public transit, the access to a more diverse set of people, more diversity of thought.”

Blake Noah, who grew up in Etowah County, lives a little closer to home – in Chattanooga with his wife of three years.

Before that, he interned with logistics firms at Honda in Alabama from 2018 on before grabbing a similar job at Volkswagen’s plant in Tennessee in 2021.

Noah said he could easily see himself returning to Alabama one day and finding a job at one of its automotive factories.

But he enjoys living in Chattanooga: the climate is comparable to home, the city is beautiful, and there’s more to do for a person in his twenties when he’s not working. But it’s not so different as, say, Huntsville, he said.

“I could have seen myself staying in Alabama,” he said. “It’s never something I felt strongly about one way or another.”

Caren Fox has lived in Atlanta since 1988, a few months after she graduated from the University of Alabama. The Mountain Brook native works in the human resources department of Wellstar Health Systems.

For her, Atlanta was a natural progression. She and her family took shopping trips to the city, and her sister lived there. When it was time to look for a job, she briefly lived with her sister before finding her own apartment. A few years later she married her husband, who came to Atlanta from North Carolina.

Several of Fox’s family still lives in the Birmingham area.

“My living here had more to do with Atlanta than leaving Alabama,” she said. “I think I knew in high school that I wasn’t going to live there. I just wanted a new scene – close enough, not too far. But I still have a positive view of Birmingham. I was just there this weekend. It’s a great city.”

Audrey Pentecost graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2021, looking to become a television meteorologist. Today, she does the weather on the weekend for WJMN in Marquette, Mich., an upper peninsula city on the shores of Lake Superior about three hours’ drive from the Canadian border.

Pentecost also covers weather-related news during the week for the station. She grew up watching tornado coverage on Alabama televisions stations, though her focus now is on blizzards.

“It was a pretty big difference,” she said. “People talk differently here. I like the snow and the cold weather.”

Pentecost thought about leaving Alabama as early as high school, and the life of television news appealed to her because she was anxious to experience different parts of the country.

“I don’t like the politics of Alabama,” she said. “I know there are tons of different people and viewpoints all across the state, but it feels like you’re kind of stifled. I wanted to move somewhere to hear ideas that aren’t all the same.”

These stories are familiar to economic development figures around Alabama.

Miller Girvin, the chief operating officer for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, has been engaged in an effort for the last three years aimed at tackling the “Brain Drain.”

There are many different reasons people move away.

“For some, if they moved here for education, they are going back home to family,” Girvin said.

“For some, it’s resistance to political climate or decisions, but that’s not the number one barrier. For some, it’s the feeling that the specific job they want just doesn’t exist in Alabama. And our answer is, you may think that it doesn’t exist, but let us show you it does, or it could.

“For some, it’s truly lack of awareness,” she said, “or it’s not the cool thing to do, like living in Atlanta or Nashville or Austin.”

Two years ago, EDPA began Fuel Alabama, a program which takes summer interns in Alabama cities and introduces them to the state in a way beyond the job. EDPA began with about 17 “Fuel Fellows” in 2022 and put together programs that gave them professional development, mentoring and service opportunities.

Also included were weekend trips to let the interns get to know Alabama’s entertainment and recreation opportunities.

The idea was simple – college interns may only be familiar with the Alabama they saw in their hometowns or college towns. What about the rest of the state? Giving interns a look at the Shoals, or the Wiregrass region, might open their eyes.

The following year, the intern group grew to 450. This summer, FuelAL programming for 600 interns will be hosted within 10 cities and regions: Auburn, Birmingham, Baldwin County, Calhoun County, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika and Tuscaloosa.

Along the way, Fuel Alabama collected a few comments from students.

“It showed me the quality of life that is attainable in Alabama and how Alabama is growing.”

“It showed me there’s a future here in the state and that people are willing to make it happen.”

“I was very impressed with the arts and culture scene in rural north Alabama, and I appreciated this trip as a means to showcase the music history in the Shoals area.”

A few slots are still available in certain cities for Fuel Alabama’s 2024 group. More information can be found here.

Even for those living outside Alabama, the bond with their state is still strong.

Sarah Henson said she doesn’t see her or Phillip moving back to Alabama. They enjoy Washington’s museums and culture. And even though they think Alabama politically resembles an “echo chamber,” they have strong feelings for where they came from.

“I still love Alabama,” she said. “I think we can do a lot better.”