BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statement on Louisiana’s success in retaining recent college graduates in state following completion of their degree. According to a recent Washington Post analysis, Louisiana ranks 17th in the country in retention of college graduates, ahead of 33 other states including Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
Governor Edwards said:

“I often say Louisiana's best days are ahead of us, and this news is proof that we are heading in the right direction. It is a testament to the historic investments we're making in higher education, and the hard work my administration has done to grow and diversify our economy. We have the lowest unemployment rate in state history, and we have created nearly 200,000 jobs since the worst of the COVID pandemic. It is gratifying to see so many Louisiana college graduates choosing to stay right here to begin their careers and to know that we are outpacing many other states, especially in the South. But we will not settle for 17th. We will keep working until no other state keeps more of their college graduates home than Louisiana."