The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment among adults in the United States, using information from the 2024 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The data covers education levels for adults age 18 and older, broken down by age, sex, race, nativity, and other demographic and social characteristics.
According to the findings, in 2024, 42.8% of individuals ages 25 to 39 held at least a bachelor’s degree. Among those aged 40 to 54, the rate was 41.5%, while for those aged 55 and older it was 34.2%. Gender differences were also observed: “In 2024, 40.1% of women and 37.1% of men age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher,” according to the Census Bureau.
Employment-related data showed that among employed workers in 2024, nearly half (49.3%) had a high school diploma or associate degree as their highest level of education, while another 44.5% had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Only a small portion (6.1%) did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
The report also detailed educational attainment across different occupations and industries. “In 2024, 76.5% of people who worked in professional and related occupations and 64.2% of people in management, business and financial occupations held a bachelor’s degree or higher.” Installation, maintenance and repair jobs saw the highest share of workers with only a high school diploma or associate degree at 78.3%. Transportation and utilities led industries with workers holding a high school diploma or associate degree at 67.5%, while information (64.9%) as well as education and health services (61.2%) industries had the largest proportions of employees with at least a bachelor’s degree.
The Current Population Survey is conducted by the Census Bureau along with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide labor force statistics for the country’s population.
“More information on confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling and nonsampling error, and definitions is available in the technical documentation,” stated the Census Bureau release.
All comparative statements presented have been statistically tested at the ten percent significance level unless otherwise noted.
