How Cleveland Ranks For Workers With No Bachelor’s Degree

CLEVELAND — A new report by the Federal Reserve has identified the best and worst metro areas for workers lacking a four-year degree. Good news Northeast Ohio: we ranked 7th best in the country out of 121 metro areas.

The joint report, published in April by the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Cleveland, comes at a time when Americans are more educated than ever. About 35 percent of adults 25 and older have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, according to 2018 educational attainment data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But as impressive as that figure might sound, it still means that about two in every three adults over 25 aren’t eligible for many well-paying jobs that require a four-year degree. And the report showed that where you live makes a huge difference in whether non-degree-holders will be able to find well-paying jobs.

The study identified jobs that don’t require a four-year degree that gave workers the opportunity to earn more than the national median income of $37,690, adjusted for regional price differences. These jobs — defined in the report as “opportunity employment” — account for about 22 percent of all jobs in the 121 metros. Registered nurses, carpenters and electricians are some examples of these types of positions, as well as accounting clerks and administrative supervisors.

The Cleveland-Elyria metro area ranked just ahead of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and behind Lexington, Kentucky for opportunity employment share, the analysis found. Here’s the breakdown:

• Metro area employment: 1,029,230
• Opportunity employment: 30.1 percent
• Ratio of sub-baccalaureate residents (ages 25-64) to opportunity employment: 2.3

While opportunity employment accounted for about 21.6 percent of the total jobs in all the metros, the areas with the highest share were located in the Midwest. That includes Toledo, Ohio, ranked the No. 1 metro area in the country for workers lacking a bachelor’s degree.

Anchorage, Alaska; Des Moines, Iowa; Birmingham, Alabama; and St. Louis, Missouri rounded out the top five. Each saw opportunity jobs account for at least 30 percent of all jobs.

Conversely, Washington, D.C. ranked as the worst metro area for workers without a four-year degree. Opportunity employment accounted for just 14.6 percent of jobs in and around the nation’s capital, the researchers found. Here are the 10 worst metros for opportunity jobs:

1. Washington, D.C. — 14.6 percent
2. New York, NY — 15.3 percent
3. Los Angeles, CA — 15.4 percent
4. Miami, FL — 15.5 percent
5. San Jose, CA — 15.5 percent
6. Daytona Beach, FL — 16.2 percent
7. San Diego, CA — 16.2 percent
8. Myrtle Beach, SC — 16.5 percent
9. Boulder, CO — 16.6 percent
10. Ventura, CA — 16.8 percent

The report also identified some of the largest opportunity jobs that could see better-than-average growth over the next seven years and — perhaps more importantly — aren’t considered to be at significant risk of being taken over by robots. This includes jobs in health care and the skilled trades. Jobs most at risk included office and administrative support.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.