The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment in the United States for 2024, providing a detailed look at the education levels of adults age 18 and older by various demographic factors. The findings are drawn from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
According to the report, in 2024, 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. Among adults age 25 and older, women were more likely than men to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree—40.1% compared with 37.1%.
Employment data show that among workers in 2024, nearly half (49.3%) held either a high school diploma or associate degree as their highest credential, while another large segment (44.5%) had achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher; only 6.1% did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Professional and related occupations saw the highest share of employees with at least a bachelor’s degree (76.5%), followed by management, business, and financial occupations (64.2%). In contrast, installation, maintenance, and repair roles had the largest proportion of workers whose highest level was a high school diploma or associate degree (78.3%). Transportation and utilities led industries for this same category at 67.5%. Information as well as education and health services industries had the greatest shares of employees with bachelor’s degrees or higher—64.9% and 61.2%, respectively.
The Current Population Survey is conducted jointly by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to serve as the main source for national labor force statistics.
“All comparative statements in this tip sheet have undergone statistical testing, and, unless otherwise noted, all are statistically significant at the 10 percent significance level,” according to technical documentation provided by the Census Bureau.
Further details about methodology can be found in technical documentation released alongside these figures.
