Knight Kiplinger, nationally recognized business analyst and co-editor of the Kiplinger Washington Letter, made these pointed observations to a large gathering of business leaders convened by the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce this October. Kiplinger's comments follow a raft of other studies and analyses which confirm that in the emerging information economy job growth, wealth and income, and general economic well-being are increasingly correlated with high levels of education. National attention is being focused on the importance of highly skilled workers to continued economic expansion. The map on page 2 shows states' educational attainment and personal income have already become closely related. This trend is expected to accelerate, putting those states lagging in educational attainment at risk of falling further behind their economic competitors.
Businesses increasingly consider educated labor force in their analyses of states business climates.