U.S. Census Bureau data from its latest American Community Survey reveals good news for the greater Columbus area. The 2017 one-year survey, when compared to the same one-year survey data for 2010, shows significant increases in education attainment and income.
Specifically, the percentage of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher rose from 24 to 35 percent. At the same time, median household income grew from $47,192 to $61,533 — and households with $150,000 or more jumped from 4.2 percent to 12.2 percent.
Residents who earn more money also have more to spend, a good thing for the health of a local economy.
The reasons for the increases in a relatively short period of time, according to education and economic leaders, were several: Talent attraction, job pathways, more college degree offerings, mentoring for at-risk high school students and an overall collaborative effort among community stakeholders to align education with workforce needs.
The hiring of thousands of job candidates, who already possessed advanced degrees, by local large manufacturers played a significant role in the trends. Their advanced educations commanded higher salaries while helping to raise the community’s overall attainment level.
But other factors contributed to increased education levels, such as the local colleges adding degree programs to meet workforce needs in certain fields and make higher levels of attainment more accessible. High schools also implemented a mentoring program called iGrad to keep at-risk students on track to graduate, so that their next steps could be advanced degrees or technical certifications. And, school-to-work programs have allowed students to earn their degrees while at the same time gaining valuable internship experience in their career fields.
However, the positive trends reflected in the data wouldn’t be possible without a well-coordinated effort led by the Columbus-based Community Education Coalition and involving education leaders, business leaders, local government officials and non-profit organizations. Together, they are working to create the best conditions for making education and attaining higher levels a priority, whether that is technical certifications, two-year or four-year degrees or beyond.
Those involved are to be commended for their efforts in working together in the best interest of the community in this regard.
