Share with a bachelor's degree or higher
The percentage of adults aged 25 and over who have at least a bachelor's degree. It counts degrees people already have, not people who are in college now.
Reported for3,207areas, in 52 states
Link to density0.39not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.43Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerate%
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
Census ACS 5-year · ACS table B15003_022…B15003_025 (4 cells), divided by population aged 25 and over
A share of people aged 25 and over. When areas are combined, each gets weight by its number of people aged 25 and over. Using total population instead would tilt the result toward places with many children. This is one of the four factors the site adjusts for by default when it compares US places.
Combining areas: an average weighted by population aged 25 and over.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 50 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Median household incomeWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Median household income tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Median household income by US county | +0.67 | +0.64 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Returns reporting capital gainsWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Returns reporting capital gains tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Returns reporting capital gains by US county | +0.63 | +0.55 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Republican swing, 2000 to 2024Where Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Republican swing, 2000 to 2024 tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Republican swing, 2000 to 2024 by US county | -0.68 | -0.54 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Per capita incomeWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Per capita income tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Per capita income by US county | +0.77 | +0.54 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Economy scoreWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Economy score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Economy score by US county | +0.79 | +0.52 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Republican share of the two-party vote, 2024Where Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Republican share of the two-party vote, 2024 tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Republican share of the two-party vote, 2024 by US county | -0.57 | -0.48 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Republican share of the two-party vote, 2020Where Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Republican share of the two-party vote, 2020 tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Republican share of the two-party vote, 2020 by US county | -0.53 | -0.45 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and People per tax returnWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, People per tax return tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. People per tax return by US county | -0.46 | -0.42 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Gini index of income inequalityWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Gini index of income inequality tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Gini index of income inequality by US county | +0.08 | +0.41 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higher and Mean adjusted gross income per returnWhere Share with a bachelor's degree or higher is higher, Mean adjusted gross income per return tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Mean adjusted gross income per return by US county | +0.73 | +0.41 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
Highest and lowest
Of 3,207 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Falls Church city, VA — 79.7%
- Arlington County, VA — 77.1%
- Los Alamos County, NM — 68.2%
- Alexandria city, VA — 65.8%
- San Miguel County, CO — 65.2%
Lowest
- Loving County, TX — 0%
- McDowell County, WV — 5.75%
- Elliott County, KY — 6.22%
- Newton County, TX — 6.23%
- Lee County, AR — 6.87%
The middle area reports 21.6%. The middle half of counties falls between 17.1% and 28.7% (the 25th to 75th percentile).
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works