Editorial: Measuring growth in degrees

Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 | 8:11 a.m.

While the Las Vegas Valley's influx of newcomers is increasing everything from the number of children in classrooms to the number of cars on the roads to the number of houses being built, the percentage of residents with college degrees hasn't changed much in five years.

Certainly, the actual number of college graduates living in the valley has increased, along with the actual number of people. But U.S. Census figures show the percentage of residents 25 and older with at least a four-year college degree was 18 percent in 2000 and also 18 percent in 2004. The valley enjoys some of the nation's most enviable job growth, but the percentage of college graduates that its workforce needs doesn't seem to have shifted.

It's not too surprising the percentage of college-educated residents remains flat here. Few, if any, American cities offer the average service worker the kind of benefits, pay and promotion opportunities Las Vegas' tourism-driven economy offers. While factories elsewhere downsize, Las Vegas megaresorts get bigger. If one resort closes, another quickly will take its place.

A report by the state Employment Training and Rehabilitation Department shows that while workers with four-year degrees typically earn more than those without them, there are far more jobs available for cashiers, food service workers and retail salespeople. With tips, some service jobs pay very well. So it is not certain that people with degrees are even using them. Why teach school when dealing cards pays better?

We have great weather, no state income tax and room to build housing for the newcomers. Despite the robust economy, however, skyrocketing housing costs have made owning a home nearly unattainable to middle-income residents. We need homes these workers can afford that are built near their jobs, rather than in far-off hinterlands that require long, expensive commutes.

Growth based on service jobs does create opportunities for those with college degrees -- especially teachers, doctors and nurses. But we have trouble luring them here. We need to make the valley's lifestyle and its pay attractive to these and the other professionals our community needs.