Workforce Education

A weighted measure of the educational attainment of the workforce (advanced degrees, bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, or some college course work).10

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? In the New Economy, which puts a premium on speed and flexibility, an educated workforce is critical to increasing productivity and fostering innovation. In fact, knowledge-based jobs (those requiring post-secondary, vocational, or higher education) grew from around 27 percent of total employment in the United States in 1983 to 31 percent in 1993, and are expected to grow to 33 percent in 2006. States with a more educated workforce are better positioned to capitalize on this trend. For individuals, educational attainment equals opportunity. Since the 1970s, those with a college degree have seen their wages go up, while those with only a high school degree or less have seen their wages fall.

THE RANKINGS: Demographic studies have shown that highly educated individuals are more geographically mobile than less-educated individuals.11 As a result, states that have attracted large numbers of people from other states generally have a more educated workforce. (The top five states are all in the West.) Similarly, states that have strong education systems, particularly higher education (such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Virginia), also score well. Meanwhile, many states with a less educated workforce have high net out-migration (for example, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota), or have historically invested less in education (like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama)..

RANK BY STATE
Rank	State	Score
1	Colorado	75.90
2	Alaska	73.30
3	Utah	72.40
4	Washington	70.75
5	California	69.65
6	Massachusetts	69.10
7	Maryland	69.00
8	Connecticut	68.80
9	New Hampshire	66.50
10	Hawaii	66.30
11	Oregon	66.30
12	Arizona	66.15
13	Virginia	65.30
14	Minnesota	63.60
15	Vermont	62.80
16	Kansas	62.45
17	New Jersey	62.30
18	Wyoming	62.15
19	New York	61.80
20	Idaho	60.90
21	New Mexico	60.65
22	Illinois	60.60
23	Montana	60.25
24	Texas	60.15
25	North Dakota	59.75
26	Nebraska	59.65
27	Delaware	59.35
28	Nevada	57.55
29	Rhode Island	57.15
30	Florida	56.60
31	Michigan	56.25
32	Oklahoma	56.00
33	South Dakota	54.45
34	Maine	54.25
35	Georgia	54.15
36	Wisconsin	53.15
37	Iowa	52.65
38	Missouri	52.65
39	North Carolina	52.40
40	Ohio	50.75
41	South Carolina	49.70
42	Indiana	48.50
43	Pennsylvania	48.25
44	Alabama	47.95
45	Tennessee	47.65
46	Louisiana	47.45
47	Mississippi	46.85
48	Arkansas	42.65
49	Kentucky	42.45
50	West Virginia	37.85

	U.S. average	58.5

ALPHABETICALLY
State	Rank	Score
Alabama	44	47.95
Alaska	2	73.30
Arizona	12	66.15
Arkansas	48	42.65
California	5	69.65
Colorado	1	75.90
Connecticut	8	68.80
Delaware	27	59.35
Florida	30	56.60
Georgia	35	54.15
Hawaii	10	66.30
Idaho	20	60.90
Illinois	22	60.60
Indiana	42	48.50
Iowa	37	52.65
Kansas	16	62.45
Kentucky	49	42.45
Louisiana	46	47.45
Maine	34	54.25
Maryland	7	69.00
Massachusetts	6	69.10
Michigan	31	56.25
Minnesota	14	63.60
Mississippi	47	46.85
Missouri	38	52.65
Montana	23	60.25
Nebraska	26	59.65
Nevada	28	57.55
New Hampshire	9	66.50
New Jersey	17	62.30
New Mexico	21	60.65
New York	19	61.80
North Carolina	39	52.40
North Dakota	25	59.75
Ohio	40	50.75
Oklahoma	32	56.00
Oregon	11	66.30
Pennsylvania	43	48.25
Rhode Island	29	57.15
South Carolina	41	49.70
South Dakota	33	54.45
Tennessee	45	47.65
Texas	24	60.15
Utah	3	72.40
Vermont	15	62.80
Virginia	13	65.30
Washington	4	70.75
West Virginia	50	37.85
Wisconsin	36	53.15
Wyoming	18	62.15

Source: U.S. Census, 1990 data.

Download PDF Version of This Report (1.1MB)
(PDF version requires Acrobat Reader)

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
600 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Suite 400, Washington DC 20003
Phone: (202) 546-0007
www.ppionline.org

Website design by OnlineWorkshop.