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27.0% - Virginia
26.9% - New Mexico
26.9% - Oregon
26.2% - Arizona
26.0% - Hawaii
25.2% - New Jersey
25.1% - Montana
24.7% - Maine
24.5% - New York
24.4% - Florida
Interesting info, thanks for posting! I feel like this will have a tendency to descend into something not good, but I sincerely hope it is genuine, thought provoking conversation.
Nice for Massachusetts that DC isn't included in the rankings - as the District is way ahead of all other states. No surprise given that federal government employment generally requires at least a bachelor's degree, and the District has gentrified so much that less educated people are getting pushed out.
I think some states tend to do better at growing their own educated work force, while others (particularly in the West) have acquired more educated residents via migration. Most states in the West appear to have better rankings for the older vs younger age cohorts relative to other parts of the country. In much of the so-called Rust Belt, the reverse is true - which reflects the a high rate of residents pursuing higher education, but some long term challenges (that may be resolving in recent years) with retaining educated residents. Utah and Pennsylvania are quite a contrast exemplifying these patterns.
Maybe in the distant future West Virginia will get out of last place on this metric - but it'll probably take Nevada losing its draw for educated retirees to make that happen. I'm guessing that is unlikely as the lack of state income tax there is a plus for high net worth households, even though the state has about the lowest concentration of white collar, professional jobs in the nation.
Just for what it's worth - conflating the 2012 election results with these educational attainment stats:
For the total population, the top 14 states by educational attainment all voted for Obama. Kansas was the most educated state that voted for Romney.
For ages 25-34, the top 13 states all voted for Obama. Nebraska was the most educated state that voted for Romney.
For ages 35-44, the top 12 states all voted for Obama. Kansas was the most educated state that voted for Romney.
For ages 45-64, the top 13 states all voted for Obama. Kansas was the most educated state that voted for Romney.
For ages 65 and up, the top 4 states all voted for Obama. Utah was the most educated state that voted for Romney.
Obama won 26 states overall - so except among senior citizens, about half of the states he won were more educated than all the states he lost. This is an interesting statistical correlation, but it doesn't imply that Democrats are "smarter" than Republicans. Results may not be the same if we looked at the county or congressional district level, for example.
Interesting info, thanks for posting! I feel like this will have a tendency to descend into something not good, but I sincerely hope it is genuine, thought provoking conversation.
There should be no descending. Theres no surprises with this list at all... the usual winners and losers all showed up to the party.
So many of Florida's graduates leave the state and go elsewhere. It is sad really. I hope that changes someday because Florida produces so many graduates that could make this state the most extravagant in the nation.
/Sigh, decades of a certain side of Florida's politics have been bent on keeping our state driven by tourism. Not going to keep graduates around if the only jobs available are serving food in restaurants. :/
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