Skilled Migrants Prefer the U.S.

Observed net migration between wealthy European countries and the United States is small but consistently positive toward the U.S.; the pattern suggests that those with the means and skills to move (high‑paid professionals) are more likely to choose America, biasing simple cross‑country welfare comparisons. Using UN DESA migration statistics and satisfaction data (Our World in Data), the article argues that migration patterns reveal distributional economic gaps even when life‑satisfaction scores look similar. — If skilled workers systematically favor the U.S., that amplifies American productivity and wage advantages and changes political debates about talent, taxation, and industrial policy on both sides of the Atlantic.