The exodus of young adults to capital cities is concerning as their loss has critical implications for regional areas.There has been a lot of focus on population loss in regional areas but less research attention has been paid to the people who stay in, or move to, regional Victoria. The findings presented in this report are the result of a survey of professional workers in Bendigo. By better understanding the professional needs of these workers, effective population strategies to attract and retain people to regional areas can be developed.