As part of EMSI’s 2012.2 data release we can now show you employment at public colleges and universities, which are typically just classified as “state government” or “local government.” This post provides a quick industry report that highlights key data for public colleges and universities.
To display the data we will use Analyst, EMSI’s labor market data tool. We will look at all jobs for public colleges and universities classified under state and local government from 2001-2012.
GROWTH TREND
From 2001-2012 (note 2012 is still a projection) employment at public colleges and universities increased by 12.8% or nearly 360,000 jobs. As of 2011, colleges and universities accounted for an estimated 3.1 million jobs, and this figure is expected to grow by 40,000 by the end of 2012. For the sake of comparison, private colleges and universities have 1.2 million jobs right now – more about this in the next post.
EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION
So what jobs are we actually talking about here? The main occupations staffed by colleges and universities are:
- Teachers/professors – 22.5% of the total industry or nearly 700,000 workers
- Office clerks – nearly 10% of the total industry or 300,000 workers
- Secretaries and executive secretaries – just over 9% of the total sector or 430,00 workers
- Janitors – 4.4% or 137,000 workers
Let us know if you are interested in the full staffing pattern.
EMPLOYMENT BY STATE
The table below provides a closer look at how employment plays out by state. Here is a summary of the big points:
- California employs the most public college/university workers (about 390,000). Texas is second with 276,000.
- The states with the most employment growth (greater than 30% from 2001-2012) were Wyoming, North Dakota, Connecticut, Montana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Virginia, Alaska, Arkansas, and Vermont.
- The states with the highest per capita employment for public colleges and universities are New Mexico (at nearly twice the typical concentration) followed by Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, and Utah. Lots of western states here.
- In terms of industry earnings, Washington, D.C. has the highest wages. As you look at wages, keep in mind that a lot of lower-skill jobs are being factored in to the analysis.
- Only three states experienced overall employment decline from 2001-2012 — Florida (-10%), Oklahoma (-9%), and Iowa (-5%).
| State Name | 2001 Jobs | 2012 Jobs | % Change | 2011 Avg. Annual Wage | 2001 National Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOURCE: EMSI COVERED EMPLOYMENT 2012.1 | |||||
| Alabama | 49,713 | 56,773 | 14% | $38,341 | 1.24 |
| Alaska | 6,107 | 8,013 | 31% | $39,911 | 0.95 |
| Arizona | 68,797 | 71,370 | 4% | $32,833 | 1.42 |
| Arkansas | 21,813 | 28,511 | 31% | $33,407 | 0.90 |
| California | 359,265 | 390,327 | 9% | $47,093 | 1.11 |
| Colorado | 50,964 | 65,266 | 28% | $34,834 | 1.07 |
| Connecticut | 22,013 | 30,408 | 38% | $39,800 | 0.62 |
| Delaware | 10,325 | 10,532 | 2% | $45,818 | 1.17 |
| District of Columbia | 3,553 | 3,871 | 9% | $64,440 | 0.25 |
| Florida | 144,413 | 130,370 | (10%) | $36,109 | 0.94 |
| Georgia | 56,837 | 67,247 | 18% | $39,180 | 0.68 |
| Hawaii | 15,316 | 17,397 | 14% | $34,260 | 1.18 |
| Idaho | 14,492 | 16,244 | 12% | $28,731 | 1.18 |
| Illinois | 122,984 | 125,902 | 2% | $35,936 | 0.97 |
| Indiana | 66,657 | 76,144 | 14% | $31,725 | 1.08 |
| Iowa | 39,627 | 37,673 | (5%) | $44,884 | 1.29 |
| Kansas | 30,634 | 38,750 | 26% | $38,990 | 1.07 |
| Kentucky | 40,178 | 54,430 | 35% | $34,447 | 1.06 |
| Louisiana | 41,303 | 51,641 | 25% | $36,974 | 1.02 |
| Maine | 10,654 | 11,158 | 5% | $32,288 | 0.83 |
| Maryland | 61,186 | 73,664 | 20% | $37,898 | 1.15 |
| Massachusetts | 38,543 | 48,828 | 27% | $38,712 | 0.55 |
| Michigan | 118,261 | 134,548 | 14% | $40,892 | 1.24 |
| Minnesota | 51,045 | 61,383 | 20% | $36,463 | 0.91 |
| Mississippi | 30,981 | 32,143 | 4% | $35,834 | 1.27 |
| Missouri | 45,610 | 53,275 | 17% | $32,675 | 0.80 |
| Montana | 14,100 | 19,111 | 36% | $27,510 | 1.67 |
| Nebraska | 23,515 | 26,364 | 12% | $38,700 | 1.22 |
| Nevada | 14,589 | 17,691 | 21% | $36,053 | 0.65 |
| New Hampshire | 8,451 | 11,361 | 34% | $36,282 | 0.65 |
| New Jersey | 65,687 | 73,664 | 12% | $37,470 | 0.79 |
| New Mexico | 30,355 | 31,615 | 4% | $31,465 | 1.90 |
| New York | 131,245 | 152,506 | 16% | $28,777 | 0.73 |
| North Carolina | 99,471 | 107,323 | 8% | $38,640 | 1.20 |
| North Dakota | 11,070 | 15,398 | 39% | $32,271 | 1.60 |
| Ohio | 110,892 | 116,575 | 5% | $31,806 | 0.95 |
| Oklahoma | 50,510 | 45,973 | (9%) | $32,049 | 1.58 |
| Oregon | 49,187 | 61,756 | 26% | $37,038 | 1.44 |
| Pennsylvania | 71,240 | 73,832 | 4% | $35,596 | 0.60 |
| Rhode Island | 6,041 | 6,047 | 0% | $44,745 | 0.60 |
| South Carolina | 41,854 | 43,253 | 3% | $38,623 | 1.07 |
| South Dakota | 9,919 | 11,301 | 14% | $28,505 | 1.25 |
| Tennessee | 48,402 | 49,034 | 1% | $34,687 | 0.86 |
| Texas | 214,493 | 276,630 | 29% | $38,057 | 1.07 |
| Utah | 29,651 | 35,660 | 20% | $36,800 | 1.31 |
| Vermont | 7,333 | 9,511 | 30% | $37,560 | 1.14 |
| Virginia | 68,654 | 91,442 | 33% | $37,245 | 0.90 |
| Washington | 77,381 | 83,299 | 8% | $38,008 | 1.32 |
| West Virginia | 18,311 | 18,991 | 4% | $38,139 | 1.24 |
| Wisconsin | 61,754 | 65,257 | 6% | $41,223 | 1.06 |
| Wyoming | 8,704 | 12,125 | 39% | $26,968 | 1.66 |
CONCLUSION
So employment growth at public colleges and universities seems quite stable, even during a down economy. Note how the growth chart didn’t fade from 2008-2010. In our next post we will compare the growth to private colleges and universities.
Find out more about EMSI and our data here. You can reach us via Twitter @DesktopEcon or by emailing Rob Sentz (rob@economicmodeling.com).
