DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WEST VIRGINIA’S YOUTH:FACT SHEET Download PDF |
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THE NEW WORKFORCE: BENEFITS OF BEING PREPARED WITH TECHNOLOGY SKILLS |
- At present, over half (56%) of employed Americans over age 18 use a computer at work.[1]
- Between 2004 and 2014, jobs in the information technology fields are expected to increase by about 30%, for an addition of over 1 million jobs nationally.[2]
- 26 out of every 1,000 private sector workers in West Virginia are employed by high-tech firms (50th highest rate in the nation).[3]
- West Virginia ranks 46th in the U.S. for overall number of high-tech workers and 48th for average high-tech wage.[4]
- In West Virginia, high-tech industry workers earn an average of $16,284 more per year than other private sector workers.[5]
HOW WIDE IS THE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY GAP? |
- 70% of households in West Virginia earning less than $15,000 per year do not own a computer compared to 45% of all West Virginia's households and 38% of all households nationally.[6]
- 74% of households in West Virginia earning less than $15,000 per year do not use the Internet at home compared to 52% of all West Virginia's households and 45% of all households nationally.[7]
- 13% of all West Virginia's households have broadband compared to 20% of all households nationally.[8]
- Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, West Virginia ranks 45th in percentage of households with a computer, 45th in percentage of households with Internet access, and 43rd in percentage of households with broadband access.[9]
ARE SCHOOLS EQUIPPING TODAY’S YOUTH? WHERE WEST VIRGINIA STANDS |
- 19% of 4th graders and 39% of 8th graders in West Virginia scored below the basic level of math that is expected in their grade (national average is 19% and 30%, respectively).[10]
- There are 3.0 students for every Internet-connected computer in West Virginia's public schools; in high-poverty schools there are 3.1 students per connected computer (the national average is 3.7 and 3.8, respectively).[11]
- In 33% of schools in West Virginia, the majority of teachers (at least half) are "beginners" when it comes to using technology (the national average is 15%).[12]
- West Virginia is among the 34 states that has education technology standards by grade level.[13]
WEST VIRGINIA'S YOUNG PEOPLE MOST IN NEED |
- Of the 387,000 children in West Virginia, 70,000, or 18%, are living in poverty.[14] Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, West Virginia ranks 22nd in percentage of children living in poverty.[15]
- 39% of West Virginia's children live with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment (the national average is 34%).[16]
- 11% of teens in West Virginia do not attend school and do not work (the national average is 8%).[17]
- West Virginia residents aged 20-24 have an unemployment rate of 11.1% (the state unemployment rate for all ages is 5.1%).[18]
March 2008
[1] U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Computer Use and Internet Use in the United States: 2003, Issued October 2005, Viewed March 5, 2008: 23-208. http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p23-208.pdf
[2] Jay Vesgo, BLS Current and Projected IT Employment Figures by Detailed Occupation, Computing Research Association, Revised January 13, 2006, Viewed March 10, 2008. http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=71
[3] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Covered Employment and Wages as reported in American Electronics Association, Cyberstates 2007: A State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry. State rankings associated with footnotes #3-4 are based on data that includes Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, along with the fifty states. A ranking of #1 represents the best state; a ranking of #52 represents the worst. (Not available online.)
[6] U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey: Computer and Internet Use 2003, special tabulation by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Calculation by The Children's Partnership. (2003 represents the most recent data available.)
[9] Ibid. Rankings calculated by The Children’s Partnership. A ranking of #1 represents the best state; a ranking of #51 represents the worst.
[10] U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2007 Mathematics Assessment, as reported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Profiles by State, March 11, 2008. http://www.kidscount.org/sld/profile.jsp
[11] Market Data Retrieval, “2005-06 Public School Technology Survey,” and unpublished tabulations from MDR's Public School Technology Survey (2005), as reported in Education Week, Technology Counts 2007: A Digital Decade. This figure includes only computers that are available for student instruction. High-poverty schools refer to schools in which more than half the students are eligible for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. March 6, 2008: 3.http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/tc/2007/WV_STR2007.pdf[12] Education Counts Custom Table Builder. Education Week, August 23, 2007. http://www.edweek.org/rc/2007/06/07/edcounts.html
[13] The Children's Partnership, review of the Department of Education Web sites for the 50 states, conducted December 2007.
[14] U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Revised November 2, 2006, Viewed March 5, 2008. http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/pov/new46_100125_03.htm
[15] Ibid. Rankings calculated by The Children's Partnership. A ranking of #1 represents the worst state (highest percentage of children living in poverty); a ranking of #51 represents the best (lowest percentage of children living in poverty).
[16]Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007 Kids Count Data Book, as reported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, February 29, 2008: 51.http://www.aecf.org/upload/PublicationFiles/databook_2007.pdf
[18] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey: Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Preliminary 2006 Data on Employment Status by State and Demographic Group, March 5, 2008: 3-53.http://www.bls.gov/lau/ptable14full2006.pdf
