The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment in the United States for 2024, detailing education levels among adults aged 18 and older by age, sex, race, nativity, and other demographic factors. The information comes from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
According to the data, 42.8% of people ages 25 to 39, 41.5% of those ages 40 to 54, and 34.2% of individuals age 55 and older had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2024. Among adults age 25 and older, women were more likely than men to have 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.”
Employment figures show that nearly half (49.3%) of workers held a high school diploma or associate degree as their highest level of education, while another 44.5% had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher; only 6.1% did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
The report also examines educational attainment by occupation and industry sector. “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.” The installation, maintenance, and repair field had the highest share (78.3%) of workers with only a high school diploma or associate degree.
Within industries, transportation and utilities had the largest proportion (67.5%) of employees with a high school diploma or associate degree as their highest credential. In contrast, information (64.9%) as well as education and health services (61.2%) reported the greatest percentages of workers holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
The Current Population Survey is conducted jointly by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide key labor force statistics for the nation.
All comparative statements in this release are statistically significant at the ten percent significance level unless otherwise noted.
