Boston Higher Education Jobs Rank First

Posted on February 18, 2009

There is some good news if you’re looking for a Boston higher education job.

Based on 2006 data, the Boston metropolitan area ranked first among the country’s largest metropolitan areas for having the highest industry concentration of employment in private colleges and universities, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area had a location quotient of 3.63, meaning that area is three-and-a-half times greater than the rest of the nation when it comes to having higher education jobs. The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area came in second with a location quotient of 2.5 percent, followed by Chicago, Washington and New York.

The area is home to more than 80 private colleges and universities that employ 68,600 Boston workers and cater to more than 360,000 students. Education workers in the area also make more money than in any other private industry there.

Although the area has a good higher education system, some Boston teaching jobs are taking cuts. The Boston area’s education and health services industry employed 483,700 workers during December 2008, according to the BLS. This is down from 485,500 workers during October 2008, but a 1.9 percent increase from last year.

The area’s economy as a whole is one of the few to see little impact so far from the economic recession. The Boston area had a total non-farm employment of 2,497,700 workers during December, down from 2,507,100 workers during October and a .8 percent decrease from last year. The area’s unemployment rate increased from 5 percent to 5.8 percent.