Educational Attainment in the United States

2024 Post-High School Educational Attainment by State

ages 25-64, including short-term credentials

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Credential Types

Race/Ethnicity

Excluding short-term credentials

In 2024, -- of adults ages 25-64 in the United States had a post-high school credential.

Chart Insights

As of 2024, the United States has changed by -- percentage points since 2009 and by -- percentage points since the previous year.

State Attainment

2024 Post-High School Educational Attainment by State

ages 25-64, including short-term credentials

<45%
45%
50%
55%
≥60%

-- out of the 100 most populous metro areas in the United States have reached 60% attainment.

Chart Insights

The following chart shows where the best opportunites are to increase overall attainment by focusing on large population areas and regions with lower attainment.

Metro Attainment

2023 Post-High School Degree Attainment for the 100 Most Populous Metros

ages 25-64, excluding short-term credentials

Note: 2024 data coming soon. 2023 data uses 2019-2023 five-year estimates.

In the United States, -- of adults have an associate degree or higher, while -- have a certification or certificate.

To drive higher education in their communities, states are recognizing valuable alternatives to traditional programs, seeking to improve alignment with workforce needs.

Education Types

Post-High School Educational Attainment in the United States by Education Type

ages 25-64, including short-term credentials

Race/Ethnicity

The current racial attainment gap in the United States is -- percentage points.

While degree attainment is increasing across all racial and ethnic groups, progress is uneven and disparities persist.

25-64
25-34
off
on
off
on

2024 Degree Attainment by State and Race/Ethnicity in the United States

ages 25-64, excluding short-term credentials

Overall

0%
100%

Note: Overall category data uses 2024 one-year estimates; all other data uses 2022-2024 three-year estimates. Some data may be unavailable for certain groups.

Detailed Race/Ethnicity

More granular data, including gender and subpopulation groups, can inform a more intersectional approach to increasing education attainment.

25-64
25-34
off
on

2024 Degree Attainment in the United States, by Race/Ethnicity Group and Gender

ages 25-64, excluding short-term credentials

Note: Total data within Overall category uses 2024 one-year estimates; all other data uses 2022-2024 three-year estimates. Subgroup data not available for Black or White race/ethnicity groups.

Who We Are

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through a broad range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.