Good Jobs That Pay without a BA: A State-by-State Analysis By: Anthony P. Carnevale, Jeff Strohl, and Neil Ridley

November 13, 2017

Overview •  Nearly half of the states have added good jobs in blue-

collar industries for workers without bachelor’s degrees since 1991

•  The share of good jobs for workers without BAs in skilled-services industries has grown in every state since 1991

•  Every state experienced a shift towards increased postsecondary education and training for good jobs for workers without BAs

•  The majority of new good jobs growth has gone to workers with associate’s degrees or some postsecondary education beyond high school

What is a good job?

Nearly half of the states added good jobs in both blue-collar and skilled-services industries

•  34 states added good jobs for workers without BAs between 1991 and 2015

•  Nationally, skilled-services industries, such as financial services and health services, grew by 4 million jobs

•  23 states gained good jobs in traditional blue-collar industries

•  Some states in the northern Plains had large gains in good jobs, both in the blue-collar and skilled-services industries

State-specific analysis •  Wyoming, New Jersey, and Maryland have the largest

share of good jobs for workers without BAs •  States in the West and northern Plains saw the

largest gains of good jobs in skilled-services industries –  Arizona, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota

•  Associate’s degree holders in Minnesota increased their share of good jobs by the largest margin

States in the Northeast and Midwest have experienced slower growth of good jobs in skilled-services industries

and blue-collar job losses

Texas, Arizona, and states in the South and West experienced the fastest growth of good jobs that pay

without a BA

16 states have fewer good jobs for workers without a BA compared to 1991

•  Manufacturing declined in 38 states –  14 of the 16 states that lost good jobs overall were held

back because of declines in manufacturing employment

•  New York, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio and Illinois lost the most blue-collar jobs

•  Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia were the only states that lost both blue-collar jobs and skilled-services jobs

State-by-State Analysis

View a profile of each state and the District of Columbia to learn more about their non-BA job market in the full report.

Good Jobs Project Website Goodjobsdata.org documents the share of these jobs, nationally, at the state level, by industry and occupation, and by wage. It also explores worker demographics.

Conclusion •  The types of industries and the size of the job market

determines what opportunities are available for workers without BAs

•  Understanding where good jobs are by industry and occupation can connect workers to more opportunities

•  Strengthening the connection between school and work will create a smoother transition into the workforce

For more information: See profiles of each state and the full report at: goodjobsdata.org  

Email Us | cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu Follow Us on Twitter | @GeorgetownCEW Find Us on Facebook | Facebook.com/GeorgetownCEW Follow Us on LinkedIn | linkedin.com/company/georgetowncew