State-level analysis of the 30 million good jobs in the economy for those with less than a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) finds that nearly half of states have added good blue-collar jobs that pay without bachelor’s degrees.

1. Good Jobs That Pay
without a BA:
A State-by-State Analysis
By: Anthony P. Carnevale, Jeff Strohl, and Neil Ridley
November 13, 2017

2. 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

3. What is a good job?

4. 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

5. 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

6. States in the Northeast and Midwest have experienced
slower growth of good jobs in skilled-services industries
and blue-collar job losses

7. Texas, Arizona, and states in the South and West
experienced the fastest growth of good jobs that pay
without a BA

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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