Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Albany Kind of Does
Take a minute and brainstorm: what are the jobs that define a civilization? Turns out Albany has the greatest concentrations of those jobs in the state, and way more than the national average.
Albany Jobs Underpin Civilization
Dr. Charles Redman defines the ten core (material) attributes of civilization as follows:
Credit: Montreal Photo Chick, CC BY NC ND
- Urban settlements
- Full-time specialists not involved in agricultural activities
- Concentration of surplus production
- Class structure
- State-level organization (government)
- Monumental public building
- Extensive trading networks
- Standardized monumental artwork
- Writing
- Development of exact sciences
Without taking a side on religious questions, it’s safe to say shared cultural values — either religious or secular in nature — often underpin items 4, 5, 6, and 8, while being reinforced and spread through writing and trade networks.
Albany has literally all of this covered.
If we look at the top jobs in Albany (defined by comparison to the national average), the Cradle of the Union clearly has what it takes to be Capital of the Universe.
(Sorry, NYC, but you were losing the crown one way or the other.)
The Top 10 Jobs in Albany
Consider this list of the top 10 jobs in Albany. The ‘location quotient’ shown is how many more jobs there are in the city compared to the national average; 1.0 is exactly average, 2.0 is twice as many.
| Job Title | Total Employed | Jobs Per 1,000 | Location Quotient | Hourly Average | Annual Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | 1640 | 3.823 | 8.12 | $26.87 | $55,880.00 |
| Physical Scientists, All Other | 500 | 1.167 | 6.85 | $41.93 | $87,210.00 |
| Word Processors and Typists | 1460 | 3.398 | 5.65 | $17.57 | $36,550.00 |
| Survey Researchers | 210 | 0.498 | 4.37 | $32.99 | $68,610.00 |
| Labor Relations Specialists | 1100 | 2.548 | 4.31 | $30.01 | $62,420.00 |
| Historians | 40 | 0.1 | 4.22 | $16.54 | $34,400.00 |
| Clergy | 550 | 1.289 | 3.74 | $24.01 | $49,940.00 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | 80 | 0.184 | 3.71 | $40.06 | $83,320.00 |
| Bailiffs | 180 | 0.428 | 3.55 | $26.09 | $54,260.00 |
| Directors, Religious Activities and Education | 210 | 0.484 | 3.47 | $13.39 | $27,860.00 |
Almost every one of these jobs supports one of Redman’s core civilizational attributes and Albany leads downstate in concentration of these jobs wherever we have solid data.
(There aren’t any good numbers for relative concentrations in the Physical Sciences, downstate, so Albany can’t claim that one. On the other hand: we have those numbers for fashion designer jobs in NYC, but not physical scientists? Priorities, folks.)
As far as the Bureau of Labor Statistics has it, Albany has the greatest concentration of real, civilization-supporting jobs in the state — many times the national average. If you’re looking to run the show, look for jobs in Albany.
2010 Census Map of Jobs in Albany NY by Robert Manduca
Featured Image Credit: chuckthewriter, CC BY NC ND
A multiplier isn’t the geographic concentration of jobs. I think you’re looking for the location quotient? Maybe that’s what that data point is,,,just mislabeled? But a multiplier value is just that…for ever 1 job created in that position, X more are created through the economy, both to support it, and as a result of it.
Good point, Chris. I thought labeling the LQ as a multiplier would make it more easily understood, but I see how it could be misleading.
I’ve updated the post accordingly.