The Duncan Banner

Local News

August 20, 2012

County sees rise of college graduates

By Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — Stephens County has experienced a brain gain in the last 40 years, joining the rest of the country in what has been a massive increase in the number of adults who have earned college degrees.

In 1970, 6.9 percent of those over 25 years of age had college degrees in Stephens County. By 2010, 16.5 percent of adults here had completed college.

The percentage of adults with college degrees in Stephens County was less than the national average of 27.9 percent in 2010. The college-educated rate here was less than the Oklahoma average of 22.6 percent.

The number of adults in the United States with college degrees has nearly tripled since 1970, when only 10.7 percent of adults had graduated from college.

But the percentage of adults with degrees in counties with small cities, such as Stephens County, while increasing, has generally fallen behind the proportion of college-educated residents in urban counties.

The loss of young, well-educated residents has posed a long-standing difficulty for rural communities.

“One of the problems that rural areas face is that in order to get a college education, young people often have to leave,” says Judith Stallmann, an economist at the University of Missouri. “Once you leave, that introduces you to other opportunities that you might not have seen had you not left.”

The good news for rural America is that it has caught up in every other measure of education.

In 1970, 7.8 percent of adults in rural counties had some education after high school, but less than a college degree.

By 2010, 27.4 percent of rural adults had attained some post high school education without earning a college diploma.

That level of education was close to the national average of 28.1 percent.

In Stephens County, 9.3 percent of adults had some college in 1970, rising to 26.3 percent in 2010. The Oklahoma average in 2010 was 30.2 percent. Stephens County had 21,869 adults (those over 25 years of age) in 1970 and 30,290 adults in 2010.

Overall, Stallmann says, the trends show that “rural people have responded to the demand for increased job skills by the increasing their post secondary education.”

Only 14.9 percent of the adult population in Stephens County had failed to graduate from high school in 2010. Nationally 15 percent of adults had not completed high school; in Oklahoma, the rate was 14.6 percent.

Mark Partridge, a rural economist at Ohio State University, says that regional differences in college graduation rates have increased in recent years.

Partridge said his studies have found that rural counties and counties with small cities in the South and West didn’t fare as well as those in the Midwest and Northeast in attracting college graduates.

Even though the Sunbelt has seen tremendous growth over the past few decades, the South’s rural counties haven’t kept up in terms of attracting adults with college degrees.

But the problem of keeping college graduates in rural America is a national issue and one that is also enduring.

Missouri economist Stallmann said this is a reflection of the kinds of jobs that are generally available in rural communities.

If there are fewer jobs demanding college degrees in a community, there are likely to be fewer college graduates.

“It’s a big deal in a lot of rural counties because you don’t see a lot of jobs that require a college education,” Stallmann said. Young people graduating from high school don’t see many jobs that demand a college diploma, so they don’t think about coming home once they leave for the university.

There can be a “self-reinforcing cycle” in rural communities, Stallmann said — young people leave to gain higher education, they don’t come back after college because there aren’t jobs that demand such education, and their absence diminishes the chances that more of these kinds of jobs will be created.

Nationally, rural counties and counties with small cities have caught up with urban counties in the percentage of adults who have some post high school education.

Stallmann sees this as a sign that “there are perhaps more jobs in rural areas that require post secondary education but not college.”

Both Stallmann and Partridge said the data on college education rates told them that rural communities should consider the kind of jobs being created locally.

“Rural communities may need to think about the types of jobs” being created, Stallmann said. “There are some communities that are doing things like getting local businesses to put an emphasis on hiring local kids who got a college education.”

“It really suggests that rural communities that aren’t thinking about making themselves attractive to educated people are really going to suffer,” Partridge said.



Bill Bishop is co-editor of the Daily Yonder www.dailyyonder.com, an online news publication covering rural America that is published by the Center for Rural Strategies.

The Center for Rural Strategies www.ruralstrategies.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote healthy civic discourse about rural issues.

Roberto Gallardo is an assistant extension professor at the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University,

Text Only
Local News
  • DPS administrators discuss inclement weather procedures

    On Thursday, Duncan school administrators participated in a district-wide de-briefing to discuss how Monday’s reaction to a tornado threat went at each school. Superintendent Sherry Labyer said the response was overwhelmingly positive.
    Labyer said the school district will look to improve its procedures.

    May 24, 2013

  • Substitute teacher saves special education students from tornado

    When the F-5 tornado did its damage at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore on Monday, and after the silence had passed, one little boy looked at his teacher and asked where his backpack was.
    “I don’t know, but we’ll look for it later,” Joy Hendrix said to  him.

    May 24, 2013

  • Velma-Alma Graduation A celebration of faith and unity
    There was a sense of celebration and appreciation throughout the J.M Carey Fieldhouse Thursday night in Velma. 
    With the graduation ceremony commencing for the Velma-Alma High School Class of 2013, came an assortment of emotions, all telling a story.
    In total 31 students walked the stage to receive their diplomas on the evening.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • 5-24 ginger.jpg Velma native runs only to discover home annihilated

    Stuck in traffic trying to get to his home, Roger Graham decided he might as well park the car and run. A Moore resident, the accountant, dressed in casual business attire, didn’t think twice about the distance.
    “It was two miles,” he said. “I just took off.” His wife, Kalissa, a school teacher, was right behind him.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • Duncan students to remain in school Tuesday, Wednesday
    When Duncan seniors cross the stage tonight, they won’t necessarily be done with high school.
    Duncan students will go to school Tuesday and Wednesday, following a three-day weekend for Memorial Day. DHS Assistant Principal Merry Stone said those two days are regular school days for students.

    May 24, 2013

  • Moore Tornado Showcases Advancements in Warnings

    Despite the utter devastation left in the wake of the massive tornado that tore through Moore, Okla. on Monday, the deadly storm, in many ways, helped showcase how far scientists have come in providing communities early tornado warning signs.

    May 23, 2013

  • ODOT efforts hampered by general public traffic

    Oklahoma Department of Transportation is requesting that motorists avoid I-35 through Moore, S. 19th Street because the ramp is closed and emergency and clean-up crews are hampering their efforts.

    May 23, 2013

  • 5-23 EMS Week.jpg National EMS Week shines spotlight on rescue workers

    The Air Evac helicopter was sitting on the helipad at Duncan Regional Hospital Wednesday, but not for emergency reasons.
    National EMS Week, May 19-25, is about connecting with the community and the Air Evac Lifeteam was doing just that.
    “Every base we have is doing something like this during the week,” said Heather Taylor, Air Evac program director. “We want to show appreciation to our community.”

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • Restaurant rumors remain on the hot plate

    From IHOP and HomeTown Buffet to Chili’s and Olive Garden, restaurant whisperings have been running rampant in the community since the arrival of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar.
    Although there are a few open spaces such as the old Golden Corral location and the soon-to-close Honda site, none of these rumors can be confirmed at this point according to Chris Deal, Duncan Chamber of Commerce president. No information on any of the businesses’ websites points to them opening a new location in the area.

    May 23, 2013

  • 5-23 Pham tree Vertical_9168.jpg DMS plants a tree for custodian

    Tam Pham left a lasting impression on Duncan Middle School, and the school has returned the favor.
    On Wednesday, the middle school, along with Duncan Public Schools administrators, recognized Pham for his 28 years of service as head custodian at Duncan Middle School. Pham retired earlier this school year. To honor Pham, the district planted a Chinese pistachio tree in front of the middle school. A base plaque was included to commemorate Pham’s dedication to Duncan Public Schools.

    May 23, 2013 2 Photos