The U.S. Census Bureau released new data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, showing that educational attainment among adults age 25 and over has risen in metropolitan statistical areas. The percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree increased from 34.2% during 2015-2019 to 37.8% in the period from 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.”
Among metropolitan areas, Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, saw one of the largest increases in adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, rising from 45.3% to 53.4%. Springfield, Massachusetts, was the only metro area where educational attainment declined, dropping from 32.8% to 29.3%.
In micropolitan statistical areas—regions with urban cores between 10,000 and less than 50,000 people—about half (50.8%) also reported increases in educational attainment for those age 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree. The Taos, New Mexico micro area had one of the largest positive changes, increasing from 28.7% to 38.5%.
The ACS data also highlight trends by field of study among college graduates age 25 and over:
– In education fields, Gadsden, Alabama metro area had one of the largest increases (24.5% to 29.1%), while Elizabethtown, Kentucky saw one of the biggest decreases (19% to 13%).
– For science and engineering degrees, Enid, Oklahoma experienced the largest rise (24.8% to 33%), while Carson City, Nevada saw a decrease (37.6% to 31%).
– In arts and humanities fields, Carson City had one of the highest increases (19.5% to 27.5%), whereas Enid had one of the largest drops (21.7% to 15.6%).
The ACS provides local estimates on more than forty topics about people and housing across four nonoverlapping five-year periods since its inception: beginning with data for periods such as 2005-2009 up through 2020-2024. This allows for trend analysis that supports planning for communities and services.
Additional findings include:
– The U.S median household income for the latest period was $80,734—a rise of about 4.4% after adjusting for inflation compared to five years prior.
– Most counties did not see statistically significant changes in median household income; however,707 counties experienced an increase while 179 counties saw decreases.
– The national poverty rate fell from 13.4% in the previous period to 12.5%. Of note,663 counties recorded declines while< a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/01/map-shows-changes-in-poverty-rates-across-united-states.html“>195 counties had increases.
Household technology access improved as well: All metro areas included in both time periods reported growth in broadband internet subscriptions.Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas saw its share rise from 57.5% to 84.4%. Only two micro areas—Greenville MS and Ruston LA—experienced declines.
Language use at home shifted slightly: Las Cruces NM showed an increase in English-only speakers at home; Lakeland-Winter Haven FL showed a decrease but also had Spanish spoken at home by nearly a quarter of residents.
Population growth is reflected by an increase in households among large cities like New York City (+286,933 households since< a href="https://data.census.gov/“>2005–2009). Los Angeles grew from just under 1.3 million households then to over 1.43 million now, while Chicago added nearly 100,000 households during this time.
Marital status trends show that never-married rates have increased among both men and women aged fifteen and older in major cities such as Houston.
The Census Bureau plans further releases related to these data sets,< a href="https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/data-releases/schedule.pdf“>including Public Use Microdata Sample files on March 5 2026. a>
Definitions for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are set by OMB standards based on urban population size and economic integration measured by commuting patterns.More information is available online. a>
All highlighted comparisons were tested for statistical significance at the ninety percent confidence level unless otherwise noted; margins of error can be found within published tables.Guidance on accuracy is provided by Census resources. a>
Census officials emphasized that these statistics rely on participation nationwide.
