159 Springboard Occupations Provide Middle-Skills Workers with Strong Earnings and Wage Growth in Major Metro Areas, Georgetown University Report Says

All 55 metro areas will face shortages of workers whose credentials align with springboard occupations

Washington, DC, Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Postsecondary providers in metro areas are not producing enough middle-skills credentials aligned with occupations that are springboards to economic opportunity, new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) finds. While the bachelor’s degree remains the surest path to economic opportunity, middle-skills springboard occupations offer high starting pay and strong wage growth to workers with postsecondary certificates or associate’s degrees. Researchers project that the number of qualified workers will fall short of the demand in these occupations in all of the nation’s 55 largest metro areas, with negative implications for workers, employers, and communities.

Springboards to Opportunity: The Middle-Skills Occupational Landscape in 55 US Metro Areas and an accompanying data tool map the landscape of middle-skills springboard occupations at the metro level. These resources are designed to help policymakers, institutions, and aspiring workers understand where the demand for workers in middle-skills springboard occupations is highest; where credential production falls short; and where the most promising opportunities lie for workers, postsecondary providers, and employers. CEW defines middle-skills springboard occupations as those meeting three conditions:

1. The proportion of workers holding middle-skills credentials (certificates or associate’s degrees) in the occupation meets or exceeds the proportion of workers holding middle-skills credentials in all occupations in that labor market. 
2. Starting wages (earnings for workers ages 20–24) are above the median starting wage for all middle-skills occupations in that labor market. 
3. Wage growth from the start of the career (ages 20–24) to mid-career (ages 35–44) is above the median for all middle-skills occupations in that labor market.

“We applied our criteria to occupations in each of the 55 major metro areas to identify each metro area’s specific middle-skills springboard occupations. In total, we identified 159 middle-skills springboard occupations, with wide variation by metro area. At the low end, Providence, Rhode Island, has 44 middle-skills springboard occupations, while at the high end, Los Angeles, California, has 75,” said Emma Nyhof McLeod, lead author and senior policy analyst at CEW. “Of the 159 middle-skills springboard occupations, only 16 are common across at least 50 of the 55 metro areas—underscoring the extent of local variation.”

While each metro area has a unique set of springboard occupations, certain occupations account for a large share of combined middle-skills springboard employment in the 55 metro areas. In fact, the 10 springboard occupations with the most middle-skills workers account for more than 40% of middle-skills workers in springboard occupations. These occupations include general and operations managers, police officers, electricians, and firefighters, among others. 

CEW researchers sorted all occupations into 25 broad occupational groups. Of these 25 broader occupational groups, the 159 middle-skills springboard occupations fall within 22. The installation, maintenance, and repair occupational group includes the largest number of springboard occupations, with 20 discrete springboard occupations, followed by office and administrative support (18), production (16), and healthcare professional and technical occupations (16). 

“To gain a deeper understanding of the middle-skills jobs landscape, we have to look at where the greatest opportunities exist for the workers of today and for the workers of tomorrow,” said Catherine Morris, report co-author and senior editor/writer at CEW. “Across all 55 metro areas, more than 2.1 million middle-skills workers are currently employed in either a healthcare professional and technical or a computer and mathematical sciences springboard occupation. Meanwhile, occupational groups such as management and installation, maintenance and repair will see the largest year-over-year growth in springboard job openings through 2034.” 

In all 55 major metro areas, credential shortages in at least one occupational group containing springboard occupations are projected through at least 2034. Concerningly, in 25 metro areas—including Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington—production of credentials aligned with springboard occupations will fall short of meeting employer demand in all occupational groups containing springboard occupations. In some of the other 30 metro areas, however, credential shortages are expected to be far less severe. For example, in Indianapolis, Indiana, credential production will fall short of meeting demand in less than half (43 percent) of occupational groups containing springboard occupations. The data tool provides an overview of credential shortages by occupational group in each of the 55 major metro areas, the specific springboard occupations identified in each of these metro areas, and a summary of annual credential production in aligned programs at the institutional level.

In some occupational groups, the unmet demand for workers with credentials aligned to middle-skills springboard occupations is widespread, existing in almost all metro areas. Both the installation, maintenance, and repair occupational group and the construction and extraction occupational group are projected to experience shortages in 53 of 55 major metro areas, for instance. 

“Ultimately, springboard occupations illustrate both the promise and the challenge of the middle-skills pathway. They show that strong earnings and upward mobility exist for some workers without bachelor’s degrees. But middle-skills springboard occupations are the exception, not the rule—and employers, educators, and policymakers need to do more to connect students with these pathways and meet workforce demand,” said co-author and CEW Director Jeff Strohl. “Introducing students to middle-skills opportunities at an early age, improving alignment between educational programs and local labor-market demand, and increasing the availability of both localized labor-market information and program outcome data are all essential to helping more workers gain access to middle-skills springboard occupations.”

To view the full report and data tool, visit: cew.georgetown.edu/springboards-to-opportunity.

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) is a research and policy institute within Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the links between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. For more information, visit https://cew.georgetown.edu/. Follow CEW on X @GeorgetownCEW, Bluesky, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

Katherine Hazelrigg
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
kh1213@georgetown.edu