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Paige DiFiore
College graduates stick around in the states where they went to school for some interesting reasons.

The state where college students graduate isn't always the state where they take their first job. In fact, some states are "simply terrible at holding onto their grads" according to a recent study by Zippia, a career analytics and information website. They looked at 127,403 resumes to determine the percentage of graduates who left the state where they graduated for their first jobs after college. The results? Smaller, northern states tend to lose the most graduates while more populous states retain theirs. But why?


Whether you're planning on ditching the state where you went to college or staying for your first job, it's good to know where you stand financially. Your credit can play a big role in landing your first apartment, and even your first job. You can keep track of your credit scores by viewing two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com.


States Students Leave the Most

10. Arizona
Grads Who Leave: 57.14%

9. Montana
Grads Who Leave: 

8. Maine
Grads Who Leave: 

7. Missouri
Grads Who Leave: 

6. New Hampshire
Grads Who Leave: 

5. West Virginia
Grads Who Leave: 

4. North Dakota
Grads Who Leave: 

3. Rhode Island
Grads Who Leave: 

2. Vermont
Grads Who Leave:

1. Delaware
Grads Who Leave: 70.69%

See the 10 states where grads stay the most at Credit.com.