Career (Re)Calibration: Over 1 in 4 Illinois’ Young Workers Are Ditching Big Cities to Get Ahead, Survey Shows.

• 4,000+ young people surveyed on whether they want to build careers in their hometowns.
• 26% of young people in Illinois have no interest in big city moves.
• Infographic included.

For years, rural states have watched their young people leave. The promise of better jobs, bigger paychecks, and busier lives in cities like New York or LA pulled many away. But now, something’s shifting.

A survey by YourFreeCareerTest, a career test platform, involving over 4,000 young people, from smaller towns and rural areas, found growing signs that big-city ambition isn’t what it used to be. 

Whether it’s the rise of remote work, a desire to stay near family, or just not wanting to trade space for stress, more and more are choosing to stay put.

Staying Put, On Purpose

The headline stat? 26% of young people living in rural or small-town Illinois now say they want to build their careers where they already are. The idea that you need to uproot your life to “make it” is clearly losing ground in the Prairie State. In Iowa, a staggering 86% said they wouldn’t move to climb the career ladder.

Remote Work: Game Changer

When asked whether remote work had changed how they think about where to live:

• 65% said they were more likely to stay in, or move to, a smaller town.
• 35% said they were less likely.

That’s a big swing. Jobs that once required a move to the city can now be done from a quiet house with a yard, and that matters.

What Really Matters Now?

When it came to ranking career priorities, only 2% of young people said being in a major city was the most important factor.

Here’s what topped the list instead:

• Flexibility and work-life balance: 38%
• Earning potential: 24%
• Being near family or community: 20%

Leadership opportunities, creative fulfilment, and prestige were all further down the list. Today’s career goals look a lot less like “corner office in Manhattan,” and more like “decent pay, no burnout, and a life I don’t need to escape from.”

Same Pay, Different Place?

The survey posed a simple question: ‘If every job paid the same, where would you live?’

• 28% said a rural or nature-filled area.
• 24% chose a large city.
• 24% preferred a smaller, up-and-coming city.
• 24% would stay in their current hometown.

That near-even split shows something deeper: ambition isn’t gone – it’s just been redistributed.

Redefining Success

Asked what “success” looks like, the most popular response wasn’t a high-rise office or a company car.

• 44% said running their own business in their hometown
• 36% wanted the freedom to work from anywhere
• Only 20% chose to lead a company in a major coastal city

What Would Make You Stay?

When asked what might convince them to stay local long-term:

• 39% said a strong remote job opportunity.
• 35% wanted a supportive local community.
• 27% pointed to visible career growth.

And while the classic question of “big fish or small pond?” still divides people, a slight majority – 57% – would still rather be a small fish in a big pond.

Homegrown Ambition: CEO Dreams Go Local

In a fun twist, the survey asked respondents: ‘If you could be the CEO of any company, which would you pick?’

Many didn’t name Wall Street titans or Silicon Valley startups. They picked companies in their own backyard.

In Illinois, young people dreamed of running John Deere, ALDI and Ulta Beauty.

Infographic showing study findings

“Young people aren’t abandoning ambition – they’re just redefining it,” says Sanjit Sandhu of YourFreeCareerTest. “Remote work has cracked the old model wide open. Now, you don’t have to choose between career growth and staying close to the people and places you love. You can have both.”