Midwest
New poll finds about half of rural young people feel job market pressures in their hometowns
A new Gallup-Walton Family Foundation survey released Wednesday shows that nearly half of rural Generation Z Americans feel they can’t find fulfilling work in their communities and are considering moving.
Rural Gen-Zers are also nearly 20 percentage points more likely to feel that way than their urban brethren.
Urban young people also have a higher confidence in their ability to land crucial internships out of school, and parents of rural youths are similarly concerned about quality-of-life issues for their grown children and in their ability to accomplish their goals.
Forty-nine percent of Gen Zers believe they can find a worthy job at home. Thirty-eight percent say they’re confident in their internship searches.
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The pressures of the contemporary occupational landscape are also leading 77% of Gen Z adults to seek to move away from their hometowns, if they are able.
But that feeling is met with countervailing sentiment against leaving home.
More than half of urban Gen Zers say they are comfortable relocating out of state or even outside the U.S., while about half in rural areas prefer to entertain moving to another place within their state, at most.
About two-fifths would consider moving out of state and only a few percent would think to leave the U.S. for a job.
“The desire to stay closer to home contrasts with those in urban areas who are more likely to say they would like to leave their state (54%), or even the country (15%),” the poll found.
“Career and education opportunities strongly influence young people’s decisions to relocate, but rural Gen Zers often face limited access compared to their urban peers,” said Stephanie Marken, senior partner for U.S. research at Gallup.
“Expanding access to job training, career opportunities and higher education in rural areas could help more young people stay connected to their communities while pursuing their goals.”
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Only one-fifth of adult Gen Z Americans who have moved away from their home areas mentioned the ability to live financially comfortably.
Many, however, still love their hometowns despite a changing job landscape in recent years and decades.
The panel was conducted in November, the week of the presidential election.
Pollsters sampled 3,963 people ranging in age from 12 to 27 in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
They were randomly selected using an address-based methodology, but the polling firm also said it uses random-digit telephone dialing to cover both landlines and cellphones.
The margin of error was +/- 2.3 percentage points overall. A total of 382 respondents were in rural areas with a 7.3 percentage point margin, and 2,969 were from urban areas with a 2.7 percentage point margin of error.
Between rainstorms, fifth-generation wheat farmer Sen. Jon Tester ends his day of cultivating on his 1,800-acre farm land in Big Sandy, Mont. (Melina Mara/Washington Post via Getty)
Despite facing fewer job and education opportunities, rural Gen Zers remain deeply connected to their communities, with their desire to move only slightly numerically higher than their urban peers (82% vs. 78%).
The co-leader of the poll, the Walton Family Foundation, was launched by late Walmart founder Samuel Walton and his wife, Helen.
The foundation seeks to improve the U.S. education system, communities and waterways, particularly in northwest Arkansas, where the family and mega-store chain are both based.
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jalisco Restaurant has been a staple in the Kansas City, Kansas, community since 1965. But after 61 years, the restaurant is closing its doors.
A sign posted on the restaurant at North 50th Street and State Avenue on Monday said:
Jalisco Restaurant will permanently close at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 30, 2026. Thank you for your patronage. Remember us, we will never forget you. The Hernandez Family.
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Jalisco Restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, is closing its doors on May 30, 2026, after 61 years. (FOX4 Photo/Brian Dulle) -
Jalisco Restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, is closing its doors on May 30, 2026, after 61 years. (FOX4 Photo/Brian Dulle)
Erika Dominguez, an employee at Jalisco’s, told FOX4 that one of their cooks, who has been there for more than 40 years, is retiring. One of the other cooks is 90, and has been with the family since the beginning.
“The family is getting older, and it is time,” she added.
“Our wall tells the story of generations of families and Jalisco’s little angels, babies who grew up coming through our doors,” Dominguez said in a social media post earlier this year.
The Hernandez family also owned another Jalisco’s Restaurant location in KCK’s Argentine neighborhood for 48 years. That location closed in 2012. They also owned a location in Mission, Kansas, years ago.
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Jalisco Restaurant location in Kansas City, Kansas’ Argentine neighborhood. This location closed in 2012. (FOX4 Photo/Brian Dulle)
Dominguez said the building at North 50th Street and State Avenue is for sale, and there’s also been talk about the family leasing it – but nothing is in the works at this time.
Spring in Michigan comes alive with one thing: tulip season, with millions of tulips blooming across the state.
Anyone who’s experienced the Tulip Time Festival in Holland knows it’s more than just fields of flowers— it’s a lively mix of parades, Dutch heritage, concerts, magic shows and a weeklong celebration built around one of Michigan’s most beloved traditions.
Whether you’re heading there this year or just want to celebrate spring at home, official merchandise from The Holland Sentinel offers an easy way to do exactly that. From meaningful keepsakes to everyday essentials, these pieces help keep the tulip season alive long after the last petals fall.
Here’s everything to know to shop our exclusive Holland Sentinel Tulip Festival merch.
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The Sentinel Tulip Dad Hat
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The Holland Sentinel Tulip Teddy Bear
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When is the Tulip Time Festival?
The Tulip Time Festival is taking place now through May 10, 2026. It’s a world famous tulip festival that makes for a perfect spring getaway.
Where is the Tulip Time Festival?
The Tulip Time Festival is in Holland, Mich. which transforms a charming Lake Michigan destination into a sea of vibrant color every spring.
Shop the entire Holand Sentinel Tulip collection
How many flowers are at the Tulip Time Festival
There are expected to be five million tulips at this year’s Tulip Time Festival.
How old is the Tulip Time Festival
This year will be the 97th edition of the Tulip Time Festival, with the first show dating back to 1929.
How long does shipping take at USA TODAY Co. Store?
Orders typically are processed and shipped within two to five business days. However, this doesn’t include pre-order items, which will have their shipping estimates listed in the product description.
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A 19-year-old man is accused of driving a stolen car and crashing into a Minnesota State Patrol squad car in Minneapolis Friday evening, injuring three people, including a trooper.
Officials say the incident started around 10:30 p.m. in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. The criminal complaint says Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a stolen red Hyundai and were following it when the driver of the car started to flee and drive recklessly.
The Hyundai entered Minneapolis and the deputies turned off their lights and stopped pursuing the car, the charges say. The car drove through Aldrich Avenue and 46th Street at approximately 80 mph, blowing through a stop sign before crashing into the side of a state patrol vehicle.
The 19-year-old, who was driving the Hyundai, fled on foot but was apprehended a short time later, the complaint says.
The trooper was hospitalized with a fractured right fibula and a fractured left scapula, court documents say. The two passengers in the Hyundai were also both taken to the hospital; one had a compound neck fracture and brain bleed, while the other had neck pain, the complaint says.
According to the charges, the teenager told police in a post-Miranda statement that it’s fun to drive around in stolen vehicles.
He faces three counts of criminal vehicular operation, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of fleeing a peace officer.
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