Educational Attainment by Race and Ethnicity
Educational attainment measures the highest credential earned by an individual at a specific point in time (e.g., a given year). Between 2002 and 2022, overall educational attainment for the U.S. population ages 25 and older increased as more of the population enrolled in and completed some level of postsecondary education. Among all adults ages 25 and older, 48.1 percent had attained an associate degree or higher in 2022, an increase from 35.0 percent in 2002. Although all groups saw gains in postsecondary education degree attainment, Asian (66.5 percent) and White (52.9 percent) adults were much more likely than Black or African American (39.0 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (32.2 percent), and Hispanic or Latino (29.5 percent) adults to have attained an associate degree or higher.
Report Links
Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: 2024 Status Report
Chapter One: Population Trends and Educational Attainment
Chapter One Report Download (PDF) 812 KB
Chapter One Data Tables Download (XLSX) 144 KB
Source
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2017
Notes:
Data for American Indians or Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander with doctoral degrees and More than one race with professional degrees should be interpreted with caution. Ratio of standard error to estimate is >30 percent but <50 percent.
Data for American Indians or Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders with doctoral degrees should be interpreted with caution. Ratio of standard error is >50 percent.
