Best (And Worst) States To Find An Educated Workforce In 2019

Entrepreneurs starting up a solution provider business are going to need highly educated and experienced workers to succeed. Here's where to look for the most talented workers (and where not to).

Where The Talented Workers Are – And Aren't

In May, the U.S. unemployment rate hit a 49-year low of 3.6 percent (it has since ticked up to 3.7 percent). With the economy working at nearly full capacity and the technology industry booming, solution providers – both established and startups – face a serious challenge in finding and hiring the technical, managerial and sales employees they need just to meet their current needs, never mind supporting a company's growth.

As part of the CRN 2019 Best States to Start a Solution Provider Business analysis, we've ranked the states according to the overall education and experience levels of the pool of available workers. The analysis includes such data as the percent of people in each state over 25 with an advanced degree, technology industry job gains (2017 to 2018), and tech jobs as a percent of the total workforce. We also incorporate state education rankings from WalletHub (focused on the education levels of each state’s population) and U.S. News and World Reports (focused on the quality of a state’s public schools).

The following are the 10 states with the highest rankings for educated and experienced workers, listed from No. 10 to No. 1. The states with the lowest rankings are then listed from No. 41 to No. 50. Keep in mind that states with the best talent may also be among the most expensive states to do business in, have higher taxes, have more solution providers to compete with and other negative characteristics.

Best States No. 10: Florida

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 18,147

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 2

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 32

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 10.3

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 29

WalletHub most educated states rank: 28

U.S. News education rank: 1

Best States No. 9: Minnesota

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 4,856

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 18

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 10

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 11.8

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 16

WalletHub most educated states rank: 8

U.S. News education rank: 20

Best States No. 8: New York

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 13,732

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 5

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 29

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 15.4

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 5

WalletHub most educated states rank: 12

U.S. News education rank: 15

Best States No. 7: California

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 51,567

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 1

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 7

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 12.2

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 14

WalletHub most educated states rank: 25

U.S. News education rank: 4

Best States No. 6: Utah

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 5,914

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 14

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 8

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 11.0

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 21

WalletHub most educated states rank: 9

U.S. News education rank: 6

Best States No. 5: Maryland

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 3,725

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 23

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 5

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 18.0

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 2

WalletHub most educated states rank: 2

U.S. News education rank: 17

Best States No. 4: Massachusetts

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 11,175

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 9

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 1

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 18.7

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 1

WalletHub most educated states rank: 1

U.S. News education rank: 27

Best States No. 3: Virginia

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 6,412

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 12

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 2

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 16.1

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 4

WalletHub most educated states rank: 6

U.S. News education rank: 14

Best States No. 2: Colorado

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 11

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 7,175

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 4

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 14.6

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 8

WalletHub most educated states rank: 5

U.S. News education rank: 9

Best States No. 1: Washington

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 12,864

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 6

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 3

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 12.7

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 13

WalletHub most educated states rank: 10

U.S. News education rank: 2

Worst States No. 41: Idaho

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 1,530

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 28

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 26

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.5

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 42

WalletHub most educated states rank: 38

U.S. News education rank: 35

Worst States No. 42: Indiana

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 3,412

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 24

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 33

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.2

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 39

WalletHub most educated states rank: 37

U.S. News education rank: 39

Worst States No. 43: South Carolina

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 4,028

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 21

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 33

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.8

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 35

WalletHub most educated states rank: 42

U.S. News education rank: 46

Worst States No. 44: Oklahoma

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: -264

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 50

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 39

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.3

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 43

WalletHub most educated states rank: 43

U.S. News education rank: 28

Worst States No. 45: Alabama

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 1,888

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 27

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 20

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.1

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 40

WalletHub most educated states rank: 46

U.S. News education rank: 47

Worst States No. 46: Kentucky

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 939

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 33

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 41

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 9.6

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 36

WalletHub most educated states rank: 45

U.S. News education rank: 43

Worst States No. 47: Arkansas

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 660

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 34

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 42

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 7.9

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 48

WalletHub most educated states rank: 47

U.S. News education rank: 40

Worst States No. 48: Mississippi

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 283

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 38

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 49

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.0

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 47

WalletHub most educated states rank: 50

U.S. News education rank: 33

Worst States No. 49: Louisiana

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: 128

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 39

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 48

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 8.1

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 45

WalletHub most educated states rank: 48

U.S. News education rank: 49

Worst State No. 50: West Virginia

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018: -30

New tech employment job gains 2017-2018 rank: 46

Tech jobs as a percentage of total workforce rank: 47

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree: 7.9

Percent of people over 25 with advanced degree rank: 48

WalletHub most educated states rank: 49

U.S. News education rank: 45