There are multiple sources for data on education requirements by occupation—the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Census Bureau’s various surveys, the job postings themselves, as well as independent surveys of businesses. The intent and collection methods behind each of these sources is important when comparing the often coinciding, but sometimes conflicting, education requirements.
To that end, a comparison was conducted by delving deep into the methods and results of each of the major sources of education requirements by occupation with results producing an interactive tool to help users understand the differences among the sources in a coherent way. Through this work, a composite education attainment level score per occupation was established with weight towards Indiana-specific sourcing.
