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.

United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 98.774 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 98.793 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.677 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.867 % in 2013 and a record low of 94.500 % in 1970. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

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.

This layer shows education level for adults 25+. Counts broken down by sex. This is shown by tract, county, and state boundaries. This service is updated annually to contain the most currently released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, and contains estimates and margins of error. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis. This layer is symbolized by the percentage of adults (25+) who were not high school graduates. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Current Vintage: 2019-2023ACS Table(s): B15002Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of API call: December 12, 2024National Figures: data.census.govThe United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. For more information about ACS layers, visit the FAQ. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.Data Note from the Census:Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Data Processing Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the most current vintage of ACS data is released each year, usually in December. The layer always contains the latest available ACS 5-year estimates. It is updated annually within days of the Census Bureau's release schedule. Click here to learn more about ACS data releases.Boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases, specifically, the National Sub-State Geography Database (named tlgdb_(year)_a_us_substategeo.gdb). Boundaries are updated at the same time as the data updates (annually), and the boundary vintage appropriately matches the data vintage as specified by the Census. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For census tracts, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract level boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2023 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are still available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters).The States layer contains 52 records - all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto RicoCensus tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99).Percentages and derived counts, and associated margins of error, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name), and abide by the specifications defined by the American Community Survey.Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the American Community Survey Summary File Documentation page.Negative values (e.g., -4444...) have been set to null, with the exception of -5555... which has been set to zero. These negative values exist in the raw API data to indicate the following situations:The margin of error column indicates that either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate, or a ratio of medians cannot be calculated because one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or upper interval of an open-ended distribution.The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution, or in the upper interval of an open-ended distribution. A statistical test is not appropriate.The estimate is controlled. A statistical test for sampling variability is not appropriate.The data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small.

In 2023, there were 403 institutions of higher education in the state of California. Of these 403 institutions, 250 were four-year institutions and 153 were two-year institutions. California had the most higher education institutions of any state in that year.

United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Master's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 11.995 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 11.765 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Master's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 11.765 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.995 % in 2015 and a record low of 11.566 % in 2013. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Master's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Master's or equivalent.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

Educational attainment rates for Washington State counties with populations greater than 65,000 according to US Census Bureau’s Data Profile. All values are the percent estimates of individuals 25 years of age or higher from the ACS 1 Year Survey. DP02_0063PE - Percent Associate's Degree DP02_0066PE - Percent High School Graduate or Higher DP02_0067PE - Percent Bachelor's Degree or Higher DP02_0065PE - Percent Graduate/Professional Degree

This graph shows the percentages of students in special education in the United States in 2011, by state. Rhode Island was the state with the most students in special education in 2011 with a participation rate of 18.4%.

Graph and download economic data for Bachelor's Degree or Higher for Delaware (GCT1502DE) from 2006 to 2023 about DE, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, educational attainment, education, and USA.

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.

Our Demographics package in the USA offers data pertaining to the education of residents of the United States of America at Census Block Level. Each data variable is available as a sum, or as a percentage of the total population within each selected area.

What is included?

At the Census Block level, this dataset includes some of the following key features:

Highest Educational Attainment

• High-school Diploma
• College - No Degree
• GED
• Associates Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctorate Degree
• Professional School Degree

Schooling In Child Population

• No Schooling
• Nursery School
• Kindergarten
• Primary School

Bachelor's Degree Attained

• Arts/Humanities/Other
• Business
• Education
• Science/Engineering

• • Highest Educational Attainment: Marketers can use this data to tailor their campaigns based on the level of education achieved by their target audience. For instance, educational institutions may focus on promoting advanced degree programs to individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher, while brands offering products related to skill development might target those with a high-school diploma or college degree.
  • Schooling In Child Population: This data provides insights into the educational stages of the child population, allowing marketers to customize their strategies. For example, companies specializing in children's products can create targeted promotions for specific age groups, such as educational toys for those in nursery or kindergarten.
  • Bachelor's Degree Attained: Marketers can leverage this information to tailor campaigns based on the specific field of study for individuals with a bachelor's degree. For instance, businesses offering services aligned with certain disciplines, like technology or the arts, can refine their messaging to appeal to the interests and preferences associated with each academic field.

• This demographic data is typically available at the census block level. These blocks are smaller, more detailed units designed for statistical purposes, enabling a more precise analysis of population, housing, and demographic data. Census blocks may vary in size and shape but are generally more localized compared to ZIP codes.

  Still looking for demographic data at the postal code level? Contact sales.

• There are numerous other census data datasets available for the United States, covering a wide range of demographics. These include information on:

  • Commuting
  • Educational Attainment
  • Employment
  • Families
  • Finance
  • Housing

United States US: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data was reported at 30.965 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.109 % for 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data is updated yearly, averaging 31.109 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2014, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32.422 % in 2010 and a record low of 30.963 % in 2012. United States US: Government Expenditure on Primary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

The National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) Education Demographic and Geographic Estimate (EDGE) program develops annually updated point locations (latitude and longitude) for public elementary and secondary schools included in the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). The CCD program annually collects administrative and fiscal data about all public schools, school districts, and state education agencies in the United States. The data are supplied by state education agency officials and include basic directory and contact information for schools and school districts, as well as characteristics about student demographics, number of teachers, school grade span, and various other administrative conditions. School and agency point locations are derived from reported information about the physical location of schools and agency administrative offices. The point locations in this data layer represent the most current CCD collection. For more information about NCES school point data, see: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/edge/Geographic/SchoolLocations.Notes:-1 or MIndicates that the data are missing.-2 or NIndicates that the data are not applicable.-9Indicates that the data do not meet NCES data quality standards.Collections are available for the following years:2022-232021-222020-212019-202018-192017-182016-172015-16 All information contained in this file is in the public domain. Data users are advised to review NCES program documentation and feature class metadata to understand the limitations and appropriate use of these data.

United States US: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 88.412 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 88.314 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 86.709 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.412 % in 2015 and a record low of 65.700 % in 1970. United States US: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

Graph and download economic data for Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees: Education and Health Services: Private Education and Health Services in California (SMU06000006500000003) from Jan 2007 to Jan 2025 about health, earnings, hours, education, CA, services, employment, and USA.

United States US: Secondary Education: Pupils data was reported at 24,417,185.769 Person in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 24,229,777.000 Person for 2014. United States US: Secondary Education: Pupils data is updated yearly, averaging 21,754,500.000 Person from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24,731,027.000 Person in 2007 and a record low of 19,270,000.000 Person in 1991. United States US: Secondary Education: Pupils data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Sum; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

This layer shows education level for adults (25+) by race by sex. This is shown by tract, county, and state boundaries. This service is updated annually to contain the most currently released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, and contains estimates and margins of error. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis. This layer is symbolized to show the percent of adults age 25+ who have a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest education level. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Current Vintage: 2019-2023ACS Table(s): B15002, C15002B, C15002C, C15002D, C15002E, C15002F, C15002G, C15002H, C15002I (Not all lines of these ACS tables are available in this layer.)Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of API call: December 12, 2024National Figures: data.census.govThe United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. For more information about ACS layers, visit the FAQ. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.Data Note from the Census:Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Data Processing Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the most current vintage of ACS data is released each year, usually in December. The layer always contains the latest available ACS 5-year estimates. It is updated annually within days of the Census Bureau's release schedule. Click here to learn more about ACS data releases.Boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases, specifically, the National Sub-State Geography Database (named tlgdb_(year)_a_us_substategeo.gdb). Boundaries are updated at the same time as the data updates (annually), and the boundary vintage appropriately matches the data vintage as specified by the Census. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For census tracts, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract level boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2020 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are still available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters). The States layer contains 52 records - all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto RicoCensus tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99).Percentages and derived counts, and associated margins of error, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name), and abide by the specifications defined by the American Community Survey.Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the American Community Survey Summary File Documentation page.Negative values (e.g., -4444...) have been set to null, with the exception of -5555... which has been set to zero. These negative values exist in the raw API data to indicate the following situations:The margin of error column indicates that either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate, or a ratio of medians cannot be calculated because one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or upper interval of an open-ended distribution.The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution, or in the upper interval of an open-ended distribution. A statistical test is not appropriate.The estimate is controlled. A statistical test for sampling variability is not appropriate.The data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small.

Colleges and UniversitiesThis feature layer, utilizing data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), displays colleges and universities in the U.S. and its territories. NCES uses the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) as the "primary source for information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions." According to NCES, this layer "contains directory information for every institution in the 2021-22 IPEDS universe. Includes name, address, city, state, zip code and various URL links to the institution's home page, admissions, financial aid offices and the net price calculator. Identifies institutions as currently active, institutions that participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs for which IPEDS is mandatory. It also includes variables derived from the 2021-22 Institutional Characteristics survey, such as control and level of institution, highest level and highest degree offered and Carnegie classifications."Gallaudet UniversityData currency: 2021Data source: IPEDS Complete Data FilesData modification: Removed fields with coded values and replaced with descriptionsFor more information: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemSupport documentation: IPEDS Complete Data Files > Directory Information > DictionaryFor feedback, please contact: ArcGIScomNationalMaps@esri.comU.S. Department of Education (ED)Per ED, "ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.ED was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies." ED's employees and budget "are dedicated to:Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.Focusing national attention on key educational issues.Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education."

This survey collected information on participants in adult and continuing education activities throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Conducted by the Bureau of the Census as part of the CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY, May 1969 (ICPSR 7996), the adult education survey collected information on types of courses taken, types of institutions or agencies offering courses, reasons for taking the courses, and the respondent's age, sex, and race. These data are related to additional socioeconomic and demographic information collected at the same time in PARTICIPATION IN ADULT EDUCATION [UNITED STATES]: DEMOGRAPHICS FOR MAY 1969 AND MAY 1972 (IPCSR 2298).

The American Community Survey Education Tabulation (ACS-ED) is a custom tabulation of the ACS produced for the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS-ED provides a rich collection of social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics for school systems, school-age children, and the parents of school-age children. In addition to focusing on school-age children, the ACS-ED provides enrollment iterations for children enrolled in public school. The data profiles include percentages (along with associated margins of error) that allow for comparison of school district-level conditions across the U.S. For more information about the NCES ACS-ED collection, visit the NCES Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE) program at: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/edge/Demographic/ACS