Highly educated workers are a valued commodity in states seeking to build and sustain economic vitality.
A new report from Strada Institute for the Future of Work shows how different states build college-educated talent pools, either by relying on their own high schools and universities or attracting talent from out of state.
The report, “Talent in Motion: Interstate Migration of College-Educated Workers,” produced in collaboration with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, can help states better understand the sources of their college-educated workforces and invest strategically to grow the talent their states need. The state-by-state findings also can help employers understand their talent pipelines and students make decisions about their education, careers, and life goals.
Overall, two-thirds of college-educated workers still live in the state where they attended high school. Most attended college and now work there (55 percent), while a smaller share returned to their home state to work after attending college elsewhere (12 percent).
States differ markedly in the shares of their talent that are homegrown, having attended both high school and college in state. For instance, 72 percent of college-educated workers in Michigan stayed in their home state for college and work, but 36 percent of college-educated workers in Colorado did so.
The debate over whether college is worth it tends to swing between two familiar claims: that bachelor’s degrees lead to strong earnings gains and that too many graduates struggle to find good jobs.
But how can both be true?
A new Strada report, “Beyond the Average: The Uneven Geography of College ROI,” posits that when we go beyond a focus on average earnings or median income, we learn much more about how likely a bachelor’s degree is to pay off for an individual:
Graduates living in metropolitan areas are more likely than those in rural communities to get an income boost from a bachelor’s degree.
Living where there is a greater concentration of college graduates is linked to a greater likelihood of an earnings benefit for completing college.
Over the past decade, the number of college graduates out-earning their high school-educated peers has declined in most states.
Compared to white, Asian, or male graduates, fewer Black, Hispanic, or female graduates experience an earnings benefit from a college degree — though most still do.
GUIDE TO WORKFORCE PELL: Workforce Pell launched this month, and state legislatures are expected to play a significant role in supporting its success. A new guide from the National Conference of State Legislatures lays out what that role looks like — from the approval process to tracking outcomes, assigning agency responsibilities, addressing oversight requirements, and aligning Workforce Pell with existing workforce programs.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE BACHELOR'S: A pilot study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that employers value community college bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education similar to associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees earned at four-year institutions.
NATIONAL INTERN DAY: This summer Strada interns had the opportunity to collaborate with staff teams across the organization, from accounting and strategic communications to legal and Strada’s focus areas. Working from offices in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., the interns received mentoring from their departments and executive coaching.
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