In 2021, the District of Columbia had the most highly educated population in the United States, with **** percent of the population over the age of 25 having an advanced degree. Massachusetts had the next most educated population, with **** percent of residents having an advanced degree. For the United States as a whole, this figure stood at **** percent of the population.

An advanced degree includes graduate and professional degrees.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 25 years and over, Men (CGAD25OM) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, males, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

With the enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, five Predominantly Black Institutions are eligible to receive funding to improve graduate education opportunities at the master’s level in mathematics, engineering, physical or natural sciences, computer science, information technology, nursing, allied health or other scientific disciplines where African American students are underrepresented. Types of Projects Institutions may use federal funds for activities that include: Purchase, rental or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes; Construction, maintenance, renovation and improvement in classroom, library, laboratory and other instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services; Purchase of library books, periodicals, technical and other scientific journals, microfilm, microfiche, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program materials; Scholarships, fellowships, and other financial assistance for needy graduate students to permit the enrollment of students in, and completion of a master’s degree in mathematics, engineering, physical or natural sciences, computer science, information technology, nursing, allied health, or other scientific disciplines in which African Americans are underrepresented; Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen and increase contributions from alumni and the private sector; Assisting in the establishment or maintenance of an institutional endowment to facilitate financial independence pursuant to Section 331; Funds and administrative management, and the acquisition of equipment, including software, for use in strengthening funds management and management information systems; Acquisition of real property that is adjacent to the campus in connection with the construction, renovation, or improvement of, or an addition to, campus facilities; Education or financial information designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students or the students’ families, especially with regards to student indebtedness and student assistance programs under title IV; Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success; Faculty professional development, faculty exchanges, and faculty participation in professional conferences and meetings; and Other activities proposed in the application that are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.

Overall educational attainment measures the highest level of education attained by a given individual: for example, an individual counted in the percentage of the measured population with a master’s or professional degree can be assumed to also have a bachelor’s degree and a high school diploma, but they are not counted in the population percentages for those two categories. Overall educational attainment is the broadest education indicator available, providing information about the measured county population as a whole.

Only members of the population aged 25 and older are included in these educational attainment estimates, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Champaign County has high educational attainment: over 48 percent of the county's population aged 25 or older has a bachelor's degree or graduate or professional degree as their highest level of education. In comparison, the percentage of the population aged 25 or older in the United States and Illinois with a bachelor's degree in 2023 was 21.8% (+/-0.1) and 22.8% (+/-0.2), respectively. The population aged 25 or older in the U.S. and Illinois with a graduate or professional degree in 2022, respectively, was 14.3% (+/-0.1) and 15.5% (+/-0.2).

Educational attainment data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, which are released annually.

As with any datasets that are estimates rather than exact counts, it is important to take into account the margins of error (listed in the column beside each figure) when drawing conclusions from the data.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of providing the standard 1-year data products, the Census Bureau released experimental estimates from the 1-year data in 2020. This includes a limited number of data tables for the nation, states, and the District of Columbia. The Census Bureau states that the 2020 ACS 1-year experimental tables use an experimental estimation methodology and should not be compared with other ACS data. For these reasons, and because data is not available for Champaign County, no data for 2020 is included in this Indicator.

For interested data users, the 2020 ACS 1-Year Experimental data release includes a dataset on Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (16 October 2024).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (29 September 2023).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (6 October 2022).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (4 June 2021).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (4 June 2021).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (13 September 2018).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (13 September 2018). U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (19 September 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2007 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2006 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2005 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S1501; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 55 to 64 years, Women (CGMDUW5564) from Jan 2000 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 55 to 64 years, females, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 20 to 24 years (CGADU2024) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 20 to 24 years, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 16 to 19 years, Women (CGADLW1619) from Mar 2015 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 16 to 19 years, females, tertiary schooling, civilian, education, labor force, labor, household survey, 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.

This page provides information about award recipients, project abstracts, and summaries of competitions under the Master's Degree Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program.

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.

United States Unemployment Rate: Age 25 & Over: Bachelor's Degree & Higher data was reported at 2.000 % in Oct 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.000 % for Sep 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: Age 25 & Over: Bachelor's Degree & Higher data is updated monthly, averaging 2.600 % from Jan 1992 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 322 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.300 % in Jul 2009 and a record low of 1.400 % in Dec 2000. United States Unemployment Rate: Age 25 & Over: Bachelor's Degree & Higher data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G018: Current Population Survey: Unemployment Rate.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 25 to 34 years (CGAD2534) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 25 to 34 years, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

This statistic shows the percentage of the Black, non-Hispanic population aged between 25 and 29 years with a bachelor's degree or a higher level degree in the United States from 1975 to 2021, by gender. In 2021, about 32 percent of Black, non-Hispanic females had attained at least a bachelor's degree in the United States.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 35 to 44 years (CGAD3544) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about 35 to 44 years, master's degree, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

This statistic shows the percentage of the White, non-Hispanic population aged between 25 and 29 with a bachelor's or a higher level degree in the United States from 1975 to 2021, by gender. In 2021, about ** percent of white, non-Hispanic females had attained at least a bachelor's degree in the United States.

A dataset that explores Green Card sponsorship trends, salary data, and employer insights for computer applications (us equ to master degree in comp. info syst) in the U.S.

In 2022, Canada had the highest share of adults with a university degree, at over 60 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 64. India had the smallest share of people with a university degree, at 13 percent of the adult population. University around the world Deciding which university to attend can be a difficult decision for some and in today’s world, people are not left wanting for choice. There are thousands of universities around the world, with the highest number found in India and Indonesia. When picking which school to attend, some look to university rankings, where Harvard University in the United States consistently comes in on top. Moving on up One of the major perks of attending university is that it enables people to move up in the world. Getting a good education is generally seen as a giant step along the path to success and opens up doors for future employment. Future earnings potential can be determined by which university one attends, whether by the prestige of the university or the connections that have been made there. For instance, graduates from the Stanford Graduate School of Business can expect to earn around 250,000 U.S. dollars annually.

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.

The worst master's degree for job prospects was found to be counseling with a median mid-career salary of ****** U.S. dollars in 2021. Master's in social work and music were also though to have low job prospects.

This statistic shows the percentage of the U.S. population, aged 25 years and older, with a bachelor's degree or more as of 2010. The results are distinguished by ethnic groups. 49 percent of Asian-Americans aged 25 and older held a bachelor's degree as of 2010.