DETROIT -- The U.S. Census Bureau said more young adults left the Detroit area than any other metropolitan area between 2000 and 2002.

SURVEY The Census Bureau shows Detroit has the biggest population loss of any major U.S. city in the past two years. Do you think metro Detroit is a happening place for young people? Yes. The city has a lot of hot spots. Maybe. But only in the suburbs. No. There are no good places to hang out. Results  |  Disclaimer

The young adults who leave tend to be college-educated and have higher incomes than those they leave behind.

As they mature, they stabilize their communities by becoming more affluent, paying more taxes and starting families.

The census report showed 33,000 people aged 25 to 34 left the Detroit area between 2000 and 2002, which is one of every 20 in that age bracket.

Philadelphia lost 25,000 young adults during that period.

Young adults have been leaving the Detroit area for at least a decade, but hard economic times appear to have accelerated the departure rate.

The Census Bureau also shows Detroit has the biggest population loss of any major U.S. city in the past two years. Detroit has lost 925,000 people since 2002, which is almost a 2.5 percent increase from the year 2000, Local 4 reported.