Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa’s trouble with brain drain — the departure of college graduates to other states — is not a new issue, but a recent report illustrates just how poorly Iowa ranks among U.S. states. Iowa has the 10th-worst percentage difference in the nation between the number of college graduates it produces and the number of college graduates living in the state — a negative 34% — according to a recent Washington Post analysis that uses data from a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. That figure is lower than the six states bordering Iowa.