6. New York
Population: 19,542,209
Capital: Albany
Percent holding advanced degrees: 15.8
Median household income: $62,765
New York
The economy of New York, whilst modest compared to that of California, still ranks as one of the highest in the world. The state’s economic policies have done a great deal to bolster its economic climate by encouraging the construction and expansion of corporate and business facilities.
The ‘if you build it, they will come’ approach combined with its prime position for global trade, the capital, New York City is a global powerhouse. Hosting some of the most sought after and expensive real estate on earth, both private and corporate, even the incredibly lucrative real estate industry only represents a fraction of this state’s enormous wealth machine.
Serviced dominate the job market, with ample opportunities for those educated in the financial sector. There are also, to a lesser extent, opportunities for those in the scientific fields. That said, New York is saturated with those in legal practices, offering one of the highest legal representative per capita statistics in the world.
5. Virginia
Population: 8,517,685
Capital: Richmond
Percent holding advanced degrees: 16.7
Median household income: $68,766
Virginia
Growing beyond its original agriculture-based economy, Virginia now boasts a diversified economy that has consistently statistically outperformed that of the US as a whole since the 1960s.
Agriculture is now what one might refer to as an economic afterthought in Virginia, with service industries and high tech manufacturing taking a dominant role in the state’s steady economic growth.
Due to its proximity to Washington DC, military and government agencies make up a good deal of the state’s employment sector, including the CIA headquarters. The combination of private tech industries and specialist government agencies are a surefire way to attract highly educated.
