Best (And Worst) States To Find An Educated Workforce In 2019
Entrepreneurs starting up a solution provider business are going to need highly educated and experienced workers to succeed. Here's where to look for the most talented workers (and where not to).
Where The Talented Workers Are – And Aren't
In May, the U.S. unemployment rate hit a 49-year low of 3.6 percent (it has since ticked up to 3.7 percent). With the economy working at nearly full capacity and the technology industry booming, solution providers – both established and startups – face a serious challenge in finding and hiring the technical, managerial and sales employees they need just to meet their current needs, never mind supporting a company's growth.
As part of the CRN 2019 Best States to Start a Solution Provider Business analysis, we've ranked the states according to the overall education and experience levels of the pool of available workers. The analysis includes such data as the percent of people in each state over 25 with an advanced degree, technology industry job gains (2017 to 2018), and tech jobs as a percent of the total workforce. We also incorporate state education rankings from WalletHub (focused on the education levels of each state’s population) and U.S. News and World Reports (focused on the quality of a state’s public schools).
The following are the 10 states with the highest rankings for educated and experienced workers, listed from No. 10 to No. 1. The states with the lowest rankings are then listed from No. 41 to No. 50. Keep in mind that states with the best talent may also be among the most expensive states to do business in, have higher taxes, have more solution providers to compete with and other negative characteristics.
Best States No. 10: Florida
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 18,147
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 2
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 32
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 10.3
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 29
WalletHub most educated states rank: 28
U.S. News education rank: 1
Best States No. 9: Minnesota
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 4,856
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 18
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 10
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 11.8
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 16
WalletHub most educated states rank: 8
U.S. News education rank: 20
Best States No. 8: New York
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 13,732
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 5
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 29
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 15.4
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 5
WalletHub most educated states rank: 12
U.S. News education rank: 15
Best States No. 7: California
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 51,567
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 1
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 7
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 12.2
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 14
WalletHub most educated states rank: 25
U.S. News education rank: 4
Best States No. 6: Utah
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 5,914
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 14
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 8
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 11.0
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 21
WalletHub most educated states rank: 9
U.S. News education rank: 6
Best States No. 5: Maryland
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 3,725
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 23
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 5
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 18.0
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 2
WalletHub most educated states rank: 2
U.S. News education rank: 17
Best States No. 4: Massachusetts
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 11,175
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 9
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 1
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 18.7
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 1
WalletHub most educated states rank: 1
U.S. News education rank: 27
Best States No. 3: Virginia
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 6,412
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 12
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 2
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 16.1
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 4
WalletHub most educated states rank: 6
U.S. News education rank: 14
Best States No. 2: Colorado
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 11
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 7,175
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 4
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 14.6
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 8
WalletHub most educated states rank: 5
U.S. News education rank: 9
Best States No. 1: Washington
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 12,864
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 6
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 3
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 12.7
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 13
WalletHub most educated states rank: 10
U.S. News education rank: 2
Worst States No. 41: Idaho
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 1,530
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 28
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 26
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.5
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 42
WalletHub most educated states rank: 38
U.S. News education rank: 35
Worst States No. 42: Indiana
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 3,412
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 24
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 33
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.2
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 39
WalletHub most educated states rank: 37
U.S. News education rank: 39
Worst States No. 43: South Carolina
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 4,028
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 21
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 33
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.8
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 35
WalletHub most educated states rank: 42
U.S. News education rank: 46
Worst States No. 44: Oklahoma
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: -264
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 50
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 39
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.3
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 43
WalletHub most educated states rank: 43
U.S. News education rank: 28
Worst States No. 45: Alabama
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 1,888
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 27
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 20
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.1
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 40
WalletHub most educated states rank: 46
U.S. News education rank: 47
Worst States No. 46: Kentucky
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 939
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 33
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 41
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.6
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 36
WalletHub most educated states rank: 45
U.S. News education rank: 43
Worst States No. 47: Arkansas
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 660
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 34
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 42
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 7.9
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 48
WalletHub most educated states rank: 47
U.S. News education rank: 40
Worst States No. 48: Mississippi
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 283
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 38
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 49
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.0
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 47
WalletHub most educated states rank: 50
U.S. News education rank: 33
Worst States No. 49: Louisiana
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 128
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 39
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 48
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.1
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 45
WalletHub most educated states rank: 48
U.S. News education rank: 49
Worst State No. 50: West Virginia
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: -30
New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 46
Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 47
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 7.9
Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 48
WalletHub most educated states rank: 49
U.S. News education rank: 45