The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data showing a significant rise in educational attainment among adults in metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas over the last five years. According to the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, the percentage of adults aged 25 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree in metropolitan areas increased from 34.2% during 2015-2019 to 37.8% during 2020-2024.
“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.”
Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, recorded one of the largest gains, moving from 45.3% to 53.4%. Springfield, Massachusetts, was noted as the only metro area where educational attainment declined—from 32.8% down to 29.3%.
Half of micropolitan areas also saw an increase in adults holding at least a bachelor’s degree. The Taos, New Mexico micro area had one of the largest increases among these smaller regions.
Changes were also seen within specific fields of study for college graduates aged 25 and over across various regions:
– In Gadsden, Alabama, those with education degrees rose from 24.5% to 29.1%, while Elizabethtown, Kentucky saw a decrease.
– Enid, Oklahoma had an increase among science and engineering graduates; Carson City, Nevada experienced a decrease.
– For arts and humanities degrees, Carson City showed growth while Enid reported decline.
The ACS provides detailed local data on more than forty topics about people and housing nationwide. With this release covering four nonoverlapping periods since its start—2005-2009 through 2020-2024—users can now analyze trends for smaller communities across timeframes critical for planning future services.
Income figures from the survey show that U.S. median household income reached $80,734 for the period between 2020-2024—a rise of about 4.4%, adjusted for inflation since the previous five-year period—but most counties did not see statistically significant changes.
Poverty rates fell nationally from 13.4% (2015-2019) to 12.5% (2020-2024), though changes varied by age group and region: poverty among children under eighteen decreased in many counties but rose among people age sixty-five and older in most counties analyzed.
Broadband internet access expanded notably; all metropolitan areas saw increases in household broadband subscriptions except two micropolitan areas which reported declines.
Other findings highlighted demographic shifts such as rising numbers of households in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles since ACS tracking began in its current format as well as increasing shares of never-married adults over time.
The Census Bureau will make additional ACS Public Use Microdata Sample files available on March 5, offering more granular insights into these trends via their online platforms including data.census.gov.
For further details on definitions used for metro/micro areas or guidance on comparing ACS statistics over time, readers are encouraged to consult resources available through the Census Bureau’s official website.
