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.

Class of worker by visible minority, selected sociodemographic characteristics and the census year: Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts (1)Frequency: OccasionalTable: 98-10-0645-01Release date: 2024-03-26Geography: Canada, Geographical region of Canada, Province or territory, Census metropolitan area, Census metropolitan area partUniverse: Persons in private households in occupied private dwellings, 2021 and 2016 censuses — 25% Sample dataVariable List: Class of worker (5B), Gender (3a), Age and first official language spoken (10), Immigrant and generation status (9), Visible minority (15), Highest certificate, diploma or degree (6A), Percent, Census year (2)"List of abbreviations and acronyms found within various Census products.(https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/symb-ab-acr-eng.cfm)"Footnotes:1 Historical comparison of geographic areas The boundaries and names of census geographies can change from one census to the next. In order to facilitate data comparisons between censuses, previous census data have been adjusted to reflect as closely as possible the 2021 boundaries of these areas. The methodology used for this adjustment involved spatially linking blocks of previous censuses (concordance to the 1996 Census used the 1996 enumeration areas to the 2021 boundaries). A previous census block was linked to the 2021 area within which its representative point fell. A limited number of interactive linkages were completed to further enhance the adjustment in certain areas. For some census geographies, it was not possible to reflect the 2021 boundaries. The 2021 boundaries may not be reflected as there was no previous census block to assign to the 2021 area. As well previous census data for some 2021 areas may not be available due to the fact that the concordance did not produce an accurate representation of the 2021 area.2 Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman). Gender includes the following concepts: gender identity, which refers to the gender that a person feels internally and individually; gender expression, which refers to the way a person presents their gender, regardless of their gender identity, through body language, aesthetic choices or accessories (e.g., clothes, hairstyle and makeup), which may have traditionally been associated with a specific gender. A person's gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. A person's gender may change over time. Some people may not identify with a specific gender.3 Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category “non-binary persons” are distributed into the other two gender categories and are denoted by the “+” symbol. The sex variable in census years prior to 2021 and the two-category gender variable in the 2021 Census are included together. Although sex and gender refer to two different concepts, the introduction of gender is not expected to have a significant impact on data analysis and historical comparability, given the small size of the transgender and non-binary populations. For additional information on changes of concepts over time, please consult the Age, Sex at Birth and Gender Reference Guide.4 'Age' refers to the age of a person (or subject) of interest at last birthday (or relative to a specified, well-defined reference date).5 First official language spoken First official language spoken refers to the first official language (English or French) spoken by the person.6 'Immigrant status' refers to whether the person is a non-immigrant, an immigrant or a non-permanent resident. 'Period of immigration' refers to the period in which the immigrant first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status. For more information on immigration variables, including information on their classifications, the questions from which they are derived, data quality and their comparability with other sources of data, please refer to the Place of Birth, Generation Status, Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.7 Generation status refers to whether or not the person or the person's parents were born in Canada.8 "Visible minority refers to whether a person is a visible minority or not, as defined by the Employment Equity Act. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as persons other than Aboriginal peoples who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian Chinese Black Filipino Arab Latin American Southeast Asian West Asian Korean and Japanese. "9 Highest certificate, diploma or degree is the classification used in the census to measure the broader concept of 'Educational attainment.' This variable refers to the highest level of education that a person has successfully completed and is derived from the educational qualifications questions, which asked for all certificates, diplomas and degrees to be reported. The general hierarchy used in deriving this variable (high school, trades, college, university) is loosely tied to the 'in-class' duration of the various types of education. At the detailed level, someone who has completed one type of certificate, diploma or degree will not necessarily have completed the credentials listed below it in the hierarchy. For example, a person with an apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma may not have completed a high school certificate or diploma, nor does an individual with a 'master's degree' necessarily have a 'university certificate or diploma above bachelor level.' Although the hierarchy may not fit all programs perfectly, it gives a general measure of educational attainment. This variable is reported for persons aged 15 years and over in private households.10 Class of worker refers to whether a person is an employee or is self-employed. The self-employed include persons with or without a business, as well as unpaid family workers.11 Includes persons aged 15 years and over who have worked at some point in time during the reference period. In 2021, this period was between January 2020 and May 2021.12 Includes self-employed persons aged 15 years and over with or without an incorporated business and with or without paid help, as well as unpaid family workers.13 Includes self-employed persons whose business is incorporated with or without employees.14 Includes self-employed persons whose business is unincorporated. Also included among the self-employed are unpaid family workers. This category includes persons who work without pay in a business, farm or professional practice owned and operated by another family member living in the same dwelling.15 "Visible minority" refers to whether a person is a visible minority or not as defined by the Employment Equity Act. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons other than Aboriginal peoples who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian Chinese Black Filipino Arab Latin American Southeast Asian West Asian Korean and Japanese. In 2021 Census analytical and communications products the term "visible minority" has been replaced by the terms "racialized population" or "racialized groups" reflecting the increased use of these terms in the public sphere."16 For more information on visible minority and population group variables, including information on their classifications, the questions from which they are derived, data quality and their comparability with other sources of data, please refer to the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.17 "In 2021 Census analytical and communications products, the term visible minority" has been replaced by the terms "racialized population" or "racialized groups" In 2021 Census analytical and communications products, the term visible minority" has been replaced by the terms "racialized population" or "racialized groups" reflecting the increased use of these terms in the public sphere."18 "The abbreviation n.i.e." means "not included elsewhere." This category includes persons who provided responses that are classified as a visible minority but that cannot be classified with a specific visible minority group. Such responses include for example "Guyanese Pacific Islander Polynesian Tibetan" and "West Indian."19 In 2021 Census analytical and communications products, this category is referred to as the rest of the population."