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1.3.9 Share of Jobs by Educational Attainment
Why is this important?
As a general rule, occupations that require higher levels of education and/or skill tend to pay better wages than those that do not. National data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that earnings are higher and unemployment is lower for highly educated people, while the inverse is true for people with little to no higher education.
Additionally, earnings tend to increase with each degree of education a worker earns. More jobs are listed as available in the lower-earning categories (those that require only on the job training or no degree) than are available for those with BA degrees or higher, but those in the higher earning brackets can pay two to three times the wages compared with jobs that require no degree.
This indicator is important because year-to-year changes show how successful Spokane County has been in creating jobs that demand higher levels of training and therefore claim higher wages. The comparison with the benchmarks also fosters insights on how well Chelan & Douglas Counties are doing in matching the results for the state, one of the most educated in the U.S.
This indicator measures the share of jobs in Walla Walla County and what kind of degree, if any, is demanded to perform this job. Categories are broken down into “high school diploma or less”, “some college or an associate degree”, a “bachelor’s degree or higher”, and “not reported”. Washington State is offered as a benchmark. Additional information, including the actual number of jobs for each level of educational attainment, can be found in the “Download Data” section.
Where are we?
During 2023 in Walla Walla County, the share of jobs requiring:
- A high school degree or less was 23.1%, decreasing from 23.7% in 2011.
- Some college or an associate’s degree was 26.2%, decreasing from 28.5% in 2011.
- A bachelor’s or advanced degree was 18.9% increasing from 18.2% in 2011.
- The category “not reported” was 31.7%, increasing from 29.6% in 2011.
By comparison in Washington State during 2023, the share of jobs requiring:
- A high school degree or less was 21.5%, decreasing from 21.6% in 2011.
- Some college or an associate’s degree was 26.9%, decreasing from 28.8% in 2011.
- A bachelor’s or advanced degree was 27.8%, decreasing from 28.0% in 2011.
- The category “not reported” was 23.8%, increasing from 21.7% in 2011.
By comparison in the U.S. during 2022 (Note: This is the most recent data available), the share of jobs requiring:
- A high school degree or less was 22.9%, decreasing from 23.5% in 2011.
- Some college or an associate’s degree was 26.6%, decreasing from 27.4% in 2011.
- A bachelor’s or advanced degree was 23.7%, decreasing from 24.4% in 2011.
- The category “not reported” was 26.8%, increasing from 24.7% in 2011.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau: Quarterly Workforce Indicators Explorer
For County data: Select "Washington" under Geography Level. Select "Emp - Beginning of Quarter Employment: Counts" under Indicator. Select "Walla Walla County" under Filters/Aggregations and Geography. Select "Yearly Averages" under X-Axis. Select "Education" under Group. Scroll to desired year under desired education level.
For State data: Select "Washington" under Geography Level. Select "Emp - Beginning of Quarter Employment: Counts" under Indicator. Select "Yearly Averages" under X-Axis. Select "Education" under Group. Scroll to desired year under desired education level.
For U.S. data: Select "United States" under Geography Level. Select "Emp - Beginning of Quarter Employment: Counts" under Indicator. Select "Yearly Averages" under X-Axis. Select "Education" under Group. Scroll to desired year under desired education level.
Note: "Educational Attainment" data is only a few years in breadth because it’s a new statistic for the LED survey. Additionally, the data collected for this indicator use quarterly figures to determine the annual averages.
