Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

Benefits of Studying Online in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is full of opportunities and potential for student studying online, as it is the 5th largest state in America, and houses more than 13 million people. The capitol resides in Harrisburg and the state's largest city (Philadelphia) is home to the nation's first energy-efficient and green university. The Keystone State is predominantly rural, but still outshines in terms of square mileage and small towns, having the 33rd largest land area of any state in the country and accounting for nearly 4% of the nation's population.

Employment Stats

In terms of economic health, as of October 2022, Pennsylvania had 6,009,500 non-farm employees (the 6th most of any state), accounting for a respectable 3.92% of the nation’s workforce. Nearly 195,000 new jobs were added since 2021, when the total tallied 5,814,300. This increase of 3.36% makes Pennsylvania the 19th fastest growing state from the standpoint of jobs added year over year. When it comes to sheer number of employed persons, the Keystone State outshines the median state by over 4 million persons; an increase of 200%. The strong labor market positions Pennsylvania well above its neighboring Ohio, which recorded more than 5,509k jobs in 2022, giving the Keystone State an advantage of roughly 500 thousand persons (or +9.08%). Conversely, the Keystone State just barely falls short of Illinois, which ranks 5th in the nation with a total employed workforce of 6,086,000, beating Pennsylvania by a mere 77,000 people (a disadvantage of -1.3%).

Job Opportunities

In addition to being the home to a number of Fortune 500 companies, the weather can be phenomenal for large chunks of the year, while still allowing students to experience all 4 distinct seasons. Another benefit of studying in Pennsylvania is the diverse job opportunities available. The state offers the 5th most occupation types according to the BLS, with 785 in total, giving Pennsylvania 8.7% advantage over the national median of 722. That means there’s an extra 63 completely unique positions that may just prove to be perfect for you if you choose Pennsylvania as the place to study and work upon graduation.

On that note, Pennsylvania has several of the nation’s highest ranked universities. One of which is the University of Pennsylvania (founded by Benjamin Franklin). The university often enters the top 10 for best overall colleges, and with a rather smaller student population of around 10,000, admissions can be very competitive. Carnegie Mellon University similarly sits in Pittsburgh and has numerous high marks, while another outstanding choice is Lehigh University which sits about a 5 hour drive away in the city of Bethlehem.

Overall, the data suggests that Pennsylvania is an excellent state to consider studying online in, as its above-average economic performance (exhibited by its rankings and year-over-year change) suggests that it can provide a strong job market for those coming out of their studies. Pennsylvania's population gives a student incredible access to the major cities in the Northeast, while still providing opportunities to explore the beautiful rural landscape.

*All data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023)