The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the American Community Survey (ACS) showing a significant rise in educational attainment among adults in metropolitan statistical areas over the past five years. According to the latest 5-year estimates, the percentage of adults aged 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree increased from 34.2% during 2015-2019 to 37.8% during 2020-2024.
“Over the last five years, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education,” said Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician. “Approximately 89% of metro areas experienced an increase in the percentage of population 25 years and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher when compared to the 2015-2019 period.”
The Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina metro area saw one of the largest increases in this category, rising from 45.3% to 53.4%. Conversely, Springfield, Massachusetts was the only metro area where educational attainment declined, dropping from 32.8% to 29.3%.
In micropolitan statistical areas, about half (50.8%) also reported gains in educational attainment for those aged 25 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree. The Taos, New Mexico micro area recorded one of the most notable increases—from 28.7% to 38.5%.
Field-specific changes were also observed across regions. In Gadsden, Alabama, college graduates aged 25 and over with degrees in education increased from 24.5% to 29.1%, while Elizabethtown, Kentucky saw a decrease from 19.0% to 13.0%. For science and engineering graduates, Enid, Oklahoma had an increase from 24.8% to 33%, whereas Carson City, Nevada experienced a decline from 37.6% to 31%. In arts and humanities fields, Carson City showed an increase from 19.5% to 27.5%, but Enid had a decrease from 21.7% to 15.6%.
The ACS remains an important source for local demographic and housing statistics across more than forty topics nationwide and allows for comparison across four nonoverlapping five-year periods since its inception: starting with data for periods between 2005-2009 up through the current release.
Additional findings include economic measures such as median household income and poverty rates:
– The national median household income for the period was $80,734.
– After adjusting for inflation to reflect values in 2024 dollars, U.S median household income rose by about four percent compared with the previous five-year period.
– Most counties did not see statistically significant changes in median income; however, some counties saw increases or decreases.
– A majority of counties reported median incomes below the national figure.
Poverty rates also changed:
– The national poverty rate decreased slightly—from thirteen percent during the previous period down to twelve percent.
– Changes varied by age group: child poverty rates dropped in most counties while poverty among people aged sixty-five or older increased in many areas.
– Persistent high-poverty counties remain: over three hundred counties had poverty rates above twenty percent throughout all measured periods since ACS began.
Technology access improved as well:
– All metropolitan areas included in both recent surveys saw growth in broadband internet subscriptions; Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas led with an increase from fifty-seven percent up to eighty-four percent.
– Only two micro areas—Greenville (Mississippi) and Ruston (Louisiana)—reported declines.
– Some metro areas such as Monroe (Louisiana), Eagle Pass (Texas), and Laredo (Texas) posted large increases in computer ownership.
Language use at home shifted:
– Las Cruces (New Mexico) saw more households speaking only English at home.
– Lakeland-Winter Haven (Florida) saw fewer English-only speakers; Spanish was spoken by nearly one-quarter of residents there.
Demographic shifts were also noted among major cities:
– Cities like New York City added hundreds of thousands of households since ACS tracking began.
– There was an uptick in never-married men and women among large urban populations—for example Houston saw notable increases among both groups between earlier periods and now.
The Census Bureau will release additional ACS Public Use Microdata Sample files on March 5th next year; further information is available on their official website including guidance on using margins of error when comparing data across time periods.
“Over the last five years, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education,” said Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician. “Approximately 89% of metro areas experienced an increase in the percentage of population 25 years and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher when compared to the 2015–2019 period.”
Statistics are subject to sampling errors; all highlighted comparisons have been tested for significance at ninety percent confidence unless otherwise noted.
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