The U.S. Census Bureau released new data from the American Community Survey (ACS) showing notable increases in educational attainment across metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas for adults aged 25 and older. According to the latest 5-year estimates, the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher in metro areas rose from 34.2% during 2015-2019 to 37.8% in the 2020-2024 period.
“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.”
Data show that some regions experienced larger gains than others. For example, Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina saw its share of college-educated adults rise from 45.3% to 53.4%. In contrast, Springfield, Massachusetts was the only metro area with a decline in this metric, dropping from 32.8% to 29.3%.
Micropolitan statistical areas also showed improvement; about half (50.8%) recorded increases among those aged 25 and over holding at least a bachelor’s degree. Taos, New Mexico had one of the largest jumps in this group—from 28.7% to 38.5%.
The ACS data break down changes by field of study as well:
– The Gadsden, Alabama metro area had one of the highest increases among college graduates with degrees in education.
– The Enid, Oklahoma metro area led increases for science and engineering graduates.
– Carson City, Nevada showed growth among arts and humanities graduates but saw decreases for science and engineering fields.
The ACS provides detailed demographic and housing statistics for local communities nationwide and is unique in offering these local estimates on more than forty topics.
Additional findings from this release include:
– The U.S. median household income reached $80,734 for the period between 2020 and 2024.
– When adjusted for inflation, median household income increased by about 4.4% compared to the previous five-year span.
– Most counties did not see statistically significant changes in median income; however, income rose in about one-fifth of counties while it declined in fewer than one-tenth.
– A majority of counties (73.6%) reported median incomes below the national figure.
Poverty rates also shifted:
– Nationally, poverty dropped from 13.4% during 2015-2019 to 12.5% during the latest period.
– Among counties where change was significant, most saw declines—though poverty among people age 65 or older increased in most cases.
– More than three hundred counties maintained poverty rates above twenty percent throughout all four ACS five-year periods since its inception.
Other trends highlighted include broadband access: every metro area tracked by both surveys saw an increase in broadband subscriptions except two micro areas—Greenville, Mississippi had the largest decline.
Household numbers grew significantly among major cities since ACS tracking began; New York City added nearly 287,000 households since 2005–2009.
The Census Bureau will release Public Use Microdata Sample files on March 5, allowing further research into these findings.
For additional details or to explore data tools such as APIs or handbooks related to accessing survey results—including historical comparisons—visit data.census.gov or review official resources listed by the agency.
“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.” — Erik Hernandez
###
