Iowa, like many other rural states, is having a problem with population loss. The most obvious evidence of this is our loss of a Congressional seat in the 2010 national census. In 2013 there were 63 counties in Iowa with populations between 5,000 and 20,000. Another 25 had populations of 20,001 65,000, only ten were above 65,000. Adams County in southwestern Iowa had the great distinction of having only 3,894 residents, the lowest population of all. Our population has also become more “urban” and rural counties are having a difficult time keeping their schools filled.

The Iowa State Data Center (www.iowadatacenter.org) contains information useful in helping to stop population loss, including a county-by-county report on in-migration. The majority of in-migration is current residents moving internally, but a large number of new residents are from outside the U.S. Over 3,100 people from Asia and another 1,100 plus from Central America moved to Iowa last year.

Americans who moved here mostly came from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nebraska, but a large number came from California and Texas (over 1,700 each). Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and Kansas each sent at least another 1,000 people to the Hawkeye state.

Other states and municipalities with similar problems have developed innovative solutions. Most common are student loan forgiveness programs, being offered in Kansas, New York, and New Jersey. In return for “homesteading” in one of 73 Rural Opportunity Zone counties in Kansas, state and county governments pay off $3,000 a year, for five years, in student loan debt. Paying off $15,000 in student loans is significant. The company the person works for can also contribute $2,500/year to the state program on their behalf, in lieu of salary.

As student loan debt averages over $29,400 per person, having 50 percent paid off simply by choosing to live in a rural county is a good deal. Graduating with that much debt means many young adults are not getting married, buying a home, and starting families. Any graduate of either a two- or four-year degree program is eligible, whether they attended college in Kansas or elsewhere. The initial amount of tax money dedicated to this program was one million dollars.

As one graduate of Fort Hays State University who took the opportunity to move home said, “To know that I will be able to have my loans paid off within five years is even better than just finding a job. If I decide to get married I won’t have this hanging over my head.”

Additionally, Kansas is offering five years of income tax waivers specifically targeted to people who move into Kansas from other states. People from 44 different states have moved to Kansas and applied for this benefit.

Since much in-state migration is occurring already, encouraging that movement to be to rural counties, instead of to Polk, Johnson, Scott, and Linn Counties, could be useful to both the student and to our rural areas. It would help with overcrowding in our urban school districts, and support rural property sales and the tax base.

The Iowa Legislature, working with a projected state budget of over $7 billion, and a budget surplus of at least half a billion, needs to look at further tax cuts for all Iowans, such as the commercial property tax reduction but also consider targeted initiatives designed to keep our children and young families in Iowa, and bring those home who have left both soldiers and civilians alike.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Public Interest Institute. They are brought to you in the interest of a better informed citizenry.

Deborah D. Thornton is a research analyst at the Public Interest Institute in Mount Pleasant.