Young professionals concentrating in big cities
More than a decade ago we identified four common characteristics of high-prosperity non-energy-driven states: Over concentrated in knowledge-based services which are the sectors of the economy both growing and high wageHigh proportion of adults with a four-year degree or moreEven higher college attainment in the state's big metro(s)In those big metros a high proportion of adults with a four-year degree…
The myth of six-figure welders
We first wrote about welders in 2013. Its a topic we keep coming back to, most recently in a 2018 post entitled What skilled trades job actually pay. The reason why we keep writing about welders is they have become Exhibit One for the case why others' kids don't need to get a four-year degree to have a good-paying career.…
College entrance exams and college admission
Paul Tough's excellent new book The Years That Matter Most explores how college entrance exams––SAT and ACT––impact who gets admitted to college. He does it by comparing the impact of college entrance exams on both admissions and college success to high school GPA. The bottom line is that college entrance exams advantage male, affluent, white or Asian, and with highly…
Talent attracts capital
In preparing presentations about our placemaking recommendations what has struck me is that the key message can be summed up in three words: talent attracts capital. Where talent means primarily those with a four-year degree or more. What the most prosperous non-energy-driven states and regions have most in common is a high proportion of their adults with a Bachelors Degree…
Neighborhoods without gentrification
In a recent post we made the case for why gentrification is a good. Something that all Michigan cities should want more of. In this post I want to explore what happens to neighborhoods without gentrification. I finished the previous post with: "Neighborhoods with high demand are vibrant, neighborhoods with low or no demand are distressed. There is no in…