More adults are earning college degrees and educators are thrilled.
According to a report by Lumina Foundation their online tool, A Stronger Nation, found that the national post-high school education rate among adults 25 to 64 years old reached 53.7 percent in 2021, an increase of nearly 2 percentage points since 2019 when the percentage was 51.9.
“This is exciting because this gain represents the largest two-year increase we have seen,” said Courtney Brown, Lumina’s vice president of strategic impact and planning and director of the Stronger Nation project in a news release. “This is also the first time every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have experienced increases in the proportion of residents holding associate or bachelor’s degrees or higher.”
Some other key findings from the foundation’s research include
The percentage of people earning degrees increased across all races and ethnicities but rose the most among Hispanics and Latinos, an almost 2.5-percentage-point gain, followed by an almost 2-point increase among Black adults. Nonetheless, educational attainment rates among Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska Native, and poor, rural adults are still lower than the national average of 45.7 percent.
Among adults 25 to 34 years old, the rate of degree and short-term credential attainment is 55.9 percent, an increase of 2 percentage points. This level of attainment indicates more people in the future will be prepared for jobs requiring college-level knowledge and skills.
The foundation also notes that over the past 15 years, the proportion of adults in the United States between the ages of 25 to 64 with college degrees, certificates, or industry-recognized certifications has increased from 37.9 percent to 53.7 percent. T