69´«Ă˝

Special Report
College & Workforce Readiness

Learning and Earning

By Christopher B. Swanson — June 07, 2007 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

In today’s world, an adult with a high school diploma but no further education can expect to earn an annual income of around $27,500. That outstrips the $19,400 in annual earnings of the typical worker without a high school education, but not by much. In 2005, the federal government drew the poverty line at $19,971 for a family of four.

With a generally strong economy, even in the 21st century a person with just a high school diploma can probably find a job and manage to stay steadily employed. But chances are that he or she will be eking out a living rather than truly thriving. The jobs available to those who stop their education at high school are hardly the route to adult success. Nor are those the jobs for which the nation’s public schools should be preparing their students. Instead, there is growing agreement that public policy and high school reform should aim higher and prepare today’s youths for jobs with a real future.

But what are those jobs?

Jobs With a Future

This map shows the percentage of desirable jobs within local geographical areas. Desirable jobs are defined as occupations falling into Jobs Zones 3 through 5, as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Download the PDF data map:
|

BRIC ARCHIVE

The , a branch of the , classifies civilian occupations into a series of five “job zones.” Part of the , or O*NET, database, those categories are defined on the basis of the preparation such work typically requires along three dimensions—education, experience, and training. The lowest levels, Job Zones 1 and 2, are filled by occupations that call for a high school diploma or less, and little training or experience. Zone 3 jobs, by comparison, usually require substantial vocational training, work-related experience, or formal education beyond high school, although not necessarily a postsecondary degree. A four-year college degree is typically the minimum requirement for entry into Zone 4 and 5 occupations.

For Diplomas Count 2007, the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center combined occupational information from O*NET with data on the civilian labor force obtained from the , conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. With the original database that resulted, we were able to conduct an in-depth labor-force analysis, examining such issues as the actual educational attainment and income levels within each job zone at the national and state levels. In addition, we could map the availability of high-quality jobs in more than 2,000 localities across the country.

Strong Relationship

Data Download

The Jobs to Aim ForExcel

Our results show that education levels are not perfectly correlated with job-zone classifications. That is, small numbers of highly educated workers hold low-zone jobs, with the converse also true. In general, though, the relationship between educational attainment and job zones is very strong. Only 7 percent of jobholders in Zone 1 have earned a bachelor’s degree, with 70 percent holding a high school diploma or no formal credential. The opposite pattern prevails in Zone 5, in which more than three-quarters of workers have a four-year college degree and 7 percent have a high school education or less.

Education, Earnings, and Decent Jobs

As the amount of required occupational preparation increases in Job Zones 1 through 5, the levels of education and income of the workers who hold those jobs also steadily rise. Only 7 percent of employees in Zone 1 jobs have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 77 percent in Zone 5. Annual incomes for workers in the top zone are also more than 4.5 times those found in the lowest zone.

to view detailed statistical data and information on the 5 Job Zones.

BRIC ARCHIVE

Individuals in jobs that demand more extensive levels of preparation also earn higher salaries. Median income reaches $59,113 in Job Zone 5, compared with only $12,638 for workers in the lowest job zone. One striking result of the EPE Research Center analysis is the dramatic differences that emerge in the distribution of wages across the occupational hierarchy. Within Zone 5, incomes vary considerably around the average level, with roughly equal numbers of workers earning less than $30,000 and topping the $100,000 mark. Income levels in occupations with the lowest job-zone classifications are more uniformly low. Eighty-four percent of Zone 1 workers earn less than $30,000, which is about half the Zone 5 average.

Although the share of workers falling into each of the five job zones varies somewhat across the states, Zones 2 and 3 constitute a majority of the labor force in every state. With state populations ranging from about half a million residents in Wyoming to more than 30 million in California, the sizes of their respective labor markets and the numbers of desirable jobs available vary dramatically. California’s economy boasts more than 9 million jobs in Zones 3 through 5 combined, compared with about 184,000 in Alaska, despite the fact that the labor forces in both states have a similar composition with respect to required levels of preparation.

National and state statistics tell only part of the story, of course. Most labor markets are much more localized, with businesses and employees operating within relatively narrow geographical confines. One important indicator for the strength of a local economy is the concentration of high-quality jobs. Our analysis of more than 2,000 localities shows that the proportion of jobs falling into Zone 3 or higher can range from fewer than 10 percent to nearly 80 percent.

Below-average concentrations of jobs in Zones 3 to 5 prevail throughout much of the Deep South, the rural Midwest, and parts of the Southwest. Higher-than-average proportions of such desirable jobs can be found in New England, much of the North and Central Plains region, and parts of the West Coast. Patterns within greater metropolitan regions can resemble a mosaic, containing localized areas with both high and low concentrations of high-preparation jobs.

The latter finding is especially notable when considering the connections between education and the economy.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the June 12, 2007 edition of Education Week as Learning And Earning

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ă˝
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness As Biden Prepares to Leave Office, He Touts His 'Classroom to Career' Work
At a White House event, the president and first lady highlighted their workforce-development efforts.
3 min read
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024.
Ben Curtis/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Can the AP Model Work for CTE? How the College Board Is Embracing Career Prep
The organization known for AP courses and the SAT is getting more involved in helping students explore potential careers.
5 min read
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024. Long an institution invested in preparing students for college, the College Board increasingly has an eye on illuminating career options.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The Way 69´«Ă˝ Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
4 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
E+
College & Workforce Readiness Even in Academic Classes, 69´«Ă˝ Focus on Building 69´«Ă˝' Workforce Skills
69´«Ă˝ work on meeting academic standards. What happens when they focus on different sets of skills?
11 min read
69´«Ă˝ participate in reflections after a day of learning in Julia Kromenacker’s 3rd grade classroom at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
69´«Ă˝ participate in reflections after a day of learning in Julia Kromenacker’s 3rd grade classroom at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. The Bullitt County district that includes Old Mill Elementary has incorporated a focus on building more general life skills, like collaboration, problem-solving, and communication, that community members and employers consistently say they want from students coming out of high school.
Sam Mallon/Education Week