The United States Census Bureau recently published a brief using data from the American Community Survey, the nation’s most comprehensive, current, reliable, and accessible data source for local statistics. This report displays information on Bachelor’s Degree Attainment in the United States from the year 2005 to 2009 and, for the first time, provides data for three consecutive 5- year periods: 2005-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2019. Together these periods provide trend data for small population groups and geographies covering a combined 15-year time period. Highlights from the report include:
- The percentage of the population 25 years and older with at least a bachelor’s degree increased by about 5 percentage points (from 27.5 percent to 32.1 percent) from 2005-2009 to 2015-2019.
- From 2005-2009 to 2015-2019, the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree grew for all race groups. Gaps in bachelor’s degree attainment between race groups persisted over the 15-year period, but some metrics display that race groups with relatively low levels of educational attainment also experienced high levels of growth.
- Hispanic or Latino students (of any race) experienced a 30.3 percent increase in bachelor’s degree attainment, Black students experienced a 25.4 percent increase , American Indian and Alaska Natives experienced a 17 percent increase, White students saw a 15.4 percent increase, and Asian students experienced a 9.5 percent increase.
- Counties in the Northeast had the highest average rate of residents with a bachelor’s degree in both 2005-2009 (25.6 percent) and 2015-2019 (29.8 percent), followed by counties in the West, Midwest, and South.
- Higher levels of educational attainment are often found in counties containing major metropolitan areas such as Washington D.C, New York City, Chicago, and Seattle. Counties with a large number of undergraduate students also display higher levels of degree attainment.
- In 2005-2009, counties in the Northeast saw significant increases in the percentage of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher than in any other region (90.8 percent). In the Midwest (60.9 percent) and South (53.5 percent), most counties experienced increases, while in the West, just under half of all counties experienced significant increases (47.2 percent).
