In 2022, 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.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. We are independent and non-partisan. Our mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

IES conducts six broad types of work that addresses school readiness and education from infancy through adulthood and includes special populations such as English Learners and students with disabilities.

• We provide data that describes how well the United States is educating its students. We collect and analyze official statistics on the condition of education, including adult education and literacy; support international assessments; and carry out the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

 • We conduct surveys and sponsor research projects to understand where education needs improvement and how these improvements might be made.  Our longitudinal surveys provide nationally representative data on how students are progressing through school and entering the workforce. Our cross-sectional surveys provide a snapshot of how students and the education system are doing at specific points in time. We fund research that uses these and other data to gain a deeper understanding of the nature and context of needed education improvements.

 • We fund development and rigorous testing of new approaches for improving education outcomes for all students.  We support development of practical solutions for education from the earliest design stages through pilot studies and rigorous testing at scale. With IES support, researchers are learning what works for improving instruction, student behavior, teacher learning, and school and system organization.

 • We conduct large-scale evaluations of federal education programs and policies.  Our evaluations address complex issues of national importance, such as the impact of alternative pathways to teacher preparation, teacher and leader evaluation systems, school improvement initiatives, and school choice programs.

 • We provide resources to increase use of data and research in education decision making.  Through the What Works Clearinghouse, we conduct independent reviews of research on what works in education. The Regional Educational Laboratories offer opportunities to learn what works as well as coaching, training, and other support for research use. Our Statewide Longitudinal Data System grants enable states to more efficiently track education outcomes and provide useful, timely information to decision makers.

 • We support advancement of statistics and research through specialized training and development of methods and measures.  We fund pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training programs, as well as database training and short courses on cutting-edge topics for working statisticians and researchers. Our empirical work on new methods and measures ensures continued advances in the accuracy, usefulness, and cost-effectiveness of education data collections and research.

About the Digest of Education StatisticsThe 2022 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics is the 58th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977–78, 1983–84, and 1985–86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. The Digest contains important information on federal education funding, though more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices.The Digest contains tables organized into seven chapters: All Levels of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Postsecondary Education, Federal Funds for Education and Related Activities, Outcomes of Education, International Comparisons of Education, and Libraries and Use of Technology. Each chapter is divided into a number of topical subsections.About this DatasetThis dataset represents the tables from the Most Current Digest Tables page: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/current_tables.asp, as downloaded 2025-07-13.The folder system has three levels. Level 1 is the chapters of the data digest. Level 2 is the subsections of the chapters. Level 3 is a folder each for each table. Each table folder contains an excel file for the table.The top level folder contains a catalog csv with a cross walk between the folder name and the original table titles.There is also a folder for Machine Readable tables downloaded from this page in the top level folder: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/mrt_tables.asp.

As of 2022, there were approximately 4.86 million people in the United States who had completed their doctorate degree. Furthermore, there were 74.53 million people in the U.S. whose highest educational attainment was a high school degree.

This Public Schools feature dataset is composed of all Public elementary and secondary education facilities in the United States as defined by the Common Core of Data (CCD, https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/ ), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, https://nces.ed.gov ), US Department of Education for the 2017-2018 school year. This includes all Kindergarten through 12th grade schools as tracked by the Common Core of Data. Included in this dataset are military schools in US territories and referenced in the city field with an APO or FPO address. DOD schools represented in the NCES data that are outside of the United States or US territories have been omitted. This feature class contains all MEDS/MEDS+ as approved by NGA. Complete field and attribute information is available in the ”Entities and Attributes” metadata section. Geographical coverage is depicted in the thumbnail above and detailed in the Place Keyword section of the metadata. This release includes the addition of 3065 new records, modifications to the spatial location and/or attribution of 99,287 records, and removal of 2996 records not present in the NCES CCD data.

United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data was reported at 13.452 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.277 % for 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 13.277 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2014, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.452 % in 2014 and a record low of 12.933 % in 2011. United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data was reported at 98.768 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.766 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.704 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.869 % in 2013 and a record low of 95.000 % in 1970. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % 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; ;

The National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Education Demographic and Geographic Estimate (EDGE) program develops annually updated school district boundary composite files that include public elementary, secondary, and unified school district boundaries clipped to the U.S. shoreline. School districts are special-purpose governments and administrative units designed by state and local officials to provide public education for local residents. District boundaries are collected for NCES by the U.S. Census Bureau to develop demographic estimates and to support educational research and program administration. The NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) program is an annual collection of basic administrative characteristics for all public schools, school districts, and state education agencies in the United States. These characteristics are reported by state education officials and include directory information, number of students, number of teachers, grade span, and other conditions. The administrative attributes in this layer were developed from the 2020-2021 CCD collection. For more information about NCES school district boundaries, see: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/edge/Geographic/DistrictBoundaries. For more information about CCD school district attributes, see: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/files.asp.Notes: -1 or M Indicates that the data are missing. -2 or N Indicates that the data are not applicable. -9 Indicates that the data do not meet NCES data quality standards. 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.

Includes data files and supplemental information. Supplemental information includes a reproducible RMarkdown file, an Excel sheet with metadata, and complete webpage files. Please not that CCD nonfiscal documentation files have been downloaded manually.From the Common Core of Data website:The Common Core of Data (CCD) is the Department of Education's primary database on public elementary and secondary education in the United States. CCD is a comprehensive, annual, national database of all public elementary and secondary schools and school districts.Information on the Common Core of Data (CCD)The primary purpose of the CCD is to provide basic information on public elementary and secondary schools, local education agencies (LEAs), and state education agencies (SEAs) for each state, the District of Columbia, and the outlying territories with a U.S. relationship. CCD is composed of two components: Nonfiscal CCD and Fiscal CCD.

Dataset describing students to teacher ratios at states and counties US nation wide.

United States US: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data was reported at 2.066 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.316 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 2.207 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.316 % in 2014 and a record low of 2.066 % in 2015. United States US: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % 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 Doctoral or equivalent.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data was reported at 88.759 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 88.859 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 87.226 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.859 % in 2014 and a record low of 66.800 % in 1970. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % 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; ;

In 2021, about ** percent of the United States population aged 25 to 34 years had attained a bachelor's degree or higher. In comparison, only ** percent of the U.S. population aged 65 years or older had a bachelor's degree.

This dataset contains data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Academic Library Survey, which was gathered every two years from 1996 - 2014, and annually in IPEDS starting in 2014 (this dataset has continued to only merge data every two years, following the original schedule). This data was merged, transformed, and used for research by Starr Hoffman and Samantha Godbey.This data was merged using R; R scripts for this merge can be made available upon request. Some variables changed names or definitions during this time; a view of these variables over time is provided in the related Figshare Project. Carnegie Classification changed several times during this period; all Carnegie classifications were crosswalked to the 2000 classification version; that information is also provided in the related Figshare Project. This data was used for research published in several articles, conference papers, and posters starting in 2018 (some of this research used an older version of the dataset which was deposited in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's repository).SourcesAll data sources were downloaded from the National Center for Education Statistics website https://nces.ed.gov/. Individual datasets and years accessed are listed below.[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Academic Libraries component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) Public Use Data File, Library Statistics Program, (2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996), https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/aca_data.asp[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institutional Characteristics component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fall Enrollment component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Human Resources component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Employees Assigned by Position component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (2004, 2002), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7[dataset] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fall Staff component, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), (1999, 1997, 1995), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/login.aspx?gotoReportId=7

As of 2024, 98 percent of internet users in the United States were collage graduates or had some college degree. On the contrary, 93 percent of them had a high school or less education.

The 2020-2021 School Neighborhood Poverty Estimates are based on school locations from the 2020-2021 Common Core of Data (CCD) school file and income data from families with children ages 5 to 17 in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year collection. The ACS is a continuous household survey that collects social, demographic, economic, and housing information from the population in the United States each month. The Census Bureau calculates the income-to-poverty ratio (IPR) based on money income reported for families relative to the poverty thresholds, which are determined based on the family size and structure. Noncash benefits (such as food stamps and housing subsidies) are excluded, as are capital gains and losses. The IPR is the percentage of family income that is above or below the federal poverty level. The IPR indicator ranges from 0 to a top-coded value of 999. A family with income at the poverty threshold has an IPR value of 100. The estimates in this file reflect the IPR for the neighborhoods around schools which may be different from the neighborhood conditions of students enrolled in schools.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.

This dataset contains records for each public elementary and secondary school in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, United States territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Marshall Islands), and Department of Defense schools outside the United States for 1991-1992. Data were reported to the Bureau of the Census for the National Center for Education Statistics by the state coordinators. Records in this file provide the name, address, and telephone number of the school/associated agency, codes for school type and locale, number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers, and students eligible for free lunch programs.

This dataset explores Achievement-level results in NAEP writing for eighth-grade public school students, by state: 1998, 2002, and 2007 Not available. The state/jurisdiction did not participate or did not meet the minimum participation guidelines for reporting. # Rounds to zero. * Significantly different (p < .05) from 2007 when only one state/jurisdiction or the nation is being examined. 1 National results for assessments prior to 2002 are based on the national sample, not on aggregated state samples. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1998, 2002, and 2007 Writing Assessments.

This dataset contains records for each public elementary and secondary education agency in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, United States territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Marshall Islands), and Department of Defense schools outside the United States for 1996-1997. Records in this file provide National Center for Education Statistics and state identification numbers, agency name, address, and telephone number, county name, agency type (regular school district, component of supervisory union, headquarters of supervisory union, regional educational service agency, state-operated agency, federally-operated agency, other), metropolitan status, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) code if applicable, number of students (ungraded/PK-12), number of students with special education Individual Education Programs (IEPs), number of high school completers (regular diploma/other diploma/other completers), number of staff, and dropout data for grades 7-12 .

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.