In the academic year of 2020/21, about 860,760 male and 1.2 million female students earned a Bachelor's degree in the United States. By the academic year of 2031/32, the number of male Bachelor's degree recipients is expected to reach 975,020.

Bachelor’s degrees in the United States

American students typically earn a Bachelor’s degree for an undergraduate course of study and it is normally completed in four years. Depending on the major, students receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or another type of certificate.

In 2021, about 1.17 million white students earned a Bachelor's degree, followed by 324,848 Hispanic students.

Bachelor's degrees and earnings

When looking at the mean income of Bachelor’s degree holders in 2021, there are marked differences between the female and male Bachelor’s degree holders. Men with a Bachelor’s degree earned about 107,315 U.S. dollars per year, compared to women, who earned 77,099 U.S. dollars per year. In addition, salaries tended to increase the more educated a person was.

In 2021, there were a total of 391,375 Bachelor's degrees earned in business studies across the United States, making it the most common field of study. In that same year, a further 126,944 Bachelor's degrees were earned in the field of psychology.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Bachelor's Degree, 25 years and over (CGBD25O) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Bachelor's Degree and Higher, 25 Yrs. & over (LNS12027662) from Jan 1992 to Feb 2025 about 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Bachelor's Degree and Higher, 25 Yrs. & over (LNU04027662) from Jan 1992 to Feb 2025 about 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In the academic year of 2021/22, almost 2.02 million students were awarded a Bachelor's degree in the United States. This figure is expected to increase to the academic year of 2031/32, when about 2.46 million students are forecasted to be awarded a Bachelor's degree.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Wage and salary workers: Bachelor's degree and higher: 25 years and over: Men (LEU0252922200A) from 2000 to 2024 about full-time, males, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, salaries, workers, education, wages, employment, and USA.

In 2021, the District of Columbia had the most highly educated population in the United States, with 61.4 percent of residents over the age of 25 having a Bachelor's degree or higher. Massachusetts followed closely behind, with 45.2 percent of residents having completed a Bachelor's degree or higher. For the United States as a whole, this figure stood at 33.7 percent of the population.

In an impressive increase from years past, 39 percent of women in the United States had completed four years or more of college in 2022. This figure is up from 3.8 percent of women in 1940. A significant increase can also be seen in males, with 36.2 percent of the U.S. male population having completed four years or more of college in 2022, up from 5.5 percent in 1940.

4- and 2-year colleges

In the United States, college students are able to choose between attending a 2-year postsecondary program and a 4-year postsecondary program. Generally, attending a 2-year program results in an Associate’s Degree, and 4-year programs result in a Bachelor’s Degree.

Many 2-year programs are designed so that attendees can transfer to a college or university offering a 4-year program upon completing their Associate’s. Completion of a 4-year program is the generally accepted standard for entry-level positions when looking for a job.

Earnings after college

Factors such as gender, degree achieved, and the level of postsecondary education can have an impact on employment and earnings later in life. Some Bachelor’s degrees continue to attract more male students than female, particularly in STEM fields, while liberal arts degrees such as education, languages and literatures, and communication tend to see higher female attendance.

All of these factors have an impact on earnings after college, and despite nearly the same rate of attendance within the American population between males and females, men with a Bachelor’s Degree continue to have higher weekly earnings on average than their female counterparts.

Vietnam VN: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: % Cumulative data was reported at 11.524 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 10.270 % for 2021. Vietnam VN: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 10.314 % from Dec 2019 (Median) to 2022, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.524 % in 2022 and a record low of 10.248 % in 2019. Vietnam VN: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;;

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level - Bachelor's Degree and Higher, 16 years and over (CGRAU16O) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about tertiary schooling, 16 years +, education, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

Bachelor's degree or higher Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. This is part of a larger dataset covering poverty in Port St. Lucie, Florida by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more.

Graph and download economic data for Bachelor's Degree or Higher for Maine (GCT1502ME) from 2006 to 2023 about ME, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, educational attainment, education, and USA.

In 2021, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year. However, this is a significant increase from 1960, when only 7.7 percent of the U.S. population had graduated from college.

Demographics

Educational attainment varies by gender, location, race, and age throughout the United States. Asian-American and Pacific Islanders had the highest level of education, on average, while Massachusetts and the District of Colombia are areas home to the highest rates of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, education levels are correlated with wealth. While public education is free up until the 12th grade, the cost of university is out of reach for many Americans, making social mobility increasingly difficult.

Earnings

White Americans with a professional degree earned the most money on average, compared to other educational levels and races. However, regardless of educational attainment, males typically earned far more on average compared to females. Despite the decreasing wage gap over the years in the country, it remains an issue to this day. Not only is there a large wage gap between males and females, but there is also a large income gap linked to race as well.

Bachelor's degree or higher Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. This is part of a larger dataset covering poverty in Utah by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more.

In the academic year of 2021/2022, there were 223,909 Bachelor's degrees in health professions and related programs awarded to women in the United States. This is compared to 39,856 degrees in the same field awarded to men.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Bachelor's Degree, 55 to 64 years (CGBD5564) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about 55 to 64 years, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Bachelor's degree or higher Poverty Rate Statistics for 2023. This is part of a larger dataset covering poverty in New York County, New York by age, education, race, gender, work experience and more.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Bachelor's Degree, 20 to 24 years, Women (CGBD2024W) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about 20 to 24 years, females, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Bachelor's Degree, 25 years and over, Women (CGBD25OW) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about females, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.