Where The Talented Workers Are – And Aren't

Solution provider startups often begin as a one-man (or woman) show. But if the company grows, eventually the founder is going to have to hire some help. Finding the best employees, from top managers and effective sales people to engineers with deep technical expertise, is often the biggest challenge faced by growing solution providers.

As part of the 2016 Best States for Millennials to Start a Solution Provider Business project, we've ranked the states according to the overall experience and education levels of their available workforce. The analysis includes an overall education rank (according to the CNBC America's Top States for Business 2016), the percent of a state's population 25 and older with a Bachelor's degree or an advanced degree (American Community Survey), postings for tech occupations and job openings, and the percent of a state's private sector workers employed by tech industry firms (both from the 2016 CompTIA Cyberstates Report).

The following are the 10 states with the highest rankings for educated and experienced workers, listed from No. 10 to No. 1. The states with the lowest rankings are then listed from No. 41 to No. 50. Keep in mind that the states with the best talent may also be among the most expensive places to do business.