CLEVELAND — It shouldn't come as a surprise that people with bachelor’s degrees typically earn better wages and experience higher employment rates than workers who do not, but there are plenty of opportunities to have a career that pays above the national median average. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, in partnership with the Philadelphia and Atlanta feds, has found that Ohio is a great place to find them.
It's estimated more than two-thirds of U.S. adults currently do not have a college degree so the Federal Reserve Bank has been studying what they call "opportunity occupations," or jobs that don't require four year degrees but enable a person to earn a living at a rate higher than the national average.
Opportunity employment, defined as employment accessible to workers without a bachelor’s degree and typically paying above the national annual median wage ($37,690), accounts for 21.6% of total employment in 121 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland stated in a release of their study earlier this month.
The largest opportunity occupations represent a range of industries from health care (registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses) to the skilled trades (carpenters and electricians) to office work (accounting clerks and administrative supervisors).
Cleveland's growing healthcare industry is playing a large role in their ranking as seventh in the nation for these jobs held by 30.1% of workers, Akron was not far behind in the No. 16 spot with 28.%.
The number one spot also went to an Ohio town with Toledo coming in with 34%. On the flip side Washington, D.C. came in as the lowest with 14.6%
The study found the largest opportunity occupations, including a number those in health care and the skilled trades, could experience above-average growth through 2026 and are not considered to be at significant risk of automation.
