The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment in the United States, using statistics from the 2024 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The table package provides a breakdown of education levels among adults aged 18 and older, considering age, sex, race, nativity, and other demographic factors.
According to the findings, 42.8% of people ages 25 to 39 held a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2024. For those aged 40 to 54, this figure was 41.5%, while for individuals age 55 and older it was 34.2%. Among adults age 25 and older overall, women were more likely than men to have attained at least a bachelor’s degree: “In 2024, 40.1% of women and 37.1% of men age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
The report also details educational attainment among employed workers in the country. “In 2024, 49.3% of employed workers had a high school diploma or associate degree and 44.5% had a bachelor’s degree or higher as their highest level of educational attainment, and 6.1% did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.”
Educational qualifications varied by occupation type as well. “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.” Meanwhile, installation, maintenance and repair roles saw the highest share—78.3%—of workers whose highest credential was a high school diploma or associate degree.
Industry analysis revealed that transportation and utilities led with the largest percentage (67.5%) of workers holding only a high school diploma or associate degree as their top qualification. By contrast, information (64.9%) along with education and health services (61.2%) industries had the greatest proportion of employees with at least a bachelor’s degree.
The Current Population Survey is jointly sponsored by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; it serves as the main source for national labor force statistics.
“More information on confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling and nonsampling error, and definitions is available in the technical documentation,” according to the Census Bureau release.
All comparative statements released are statistically significant at the ten percent significance level unless otherwise noted.
