The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment among adults in the United States, based on findings from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
According to the report, in 2024, 42.8% of individuals ages 25 to 39 held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among those aged 40 to 54, this figure was 41.5%, while for people age 55 and older it was 34.2%. The data also show that among adults age 25 and older, women were more likely than men to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree, with rates of 40.1% for women and 37.1% for men.
Among employed workers in 2024, nearly half (49.3%) had attained either a high school diploma or associate degree as their highest level of education, while 44.5% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Only 6.1% of workers did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Educational attainment varied by occupation and industry. In professional and related occupations, 76.5% of workers held at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 64.2% in management, business, and financial occupations. Installation, maintenance, and repair jobs had the highest percentage of employees with only a high school diploma or associate degree at 78.3%. In terms of industries, transportation and utilities had the largest share of workers whose highest credential was a high school diploma or associate degree (67.5%), while information (64.9%) and education and health services (61.2%) industries led in the proportion of employees with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The Current Population Survey is conducted jointly by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and serves as the main source for labor force statistics in the country.
“All comparative statements in this tip sheet have undergone statistical testing, and, unless otherwise noted, all are statistically significant at the 10 percent significance level,” according to the Census Bureau.
Further details about confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling errors, nonsampling errors, and definitions can be found in the technical documentation provided by the agencies.
