The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data on educational attainment in the United States for 2024, offering a detailed look at education levels among adults aged 18 and older. The information comes from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which is a major source of labor force statistics in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to the data, 42.8% of people ages 25 to 39 held a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2024. Among those aged 40 to 54, the figure was 41.5%, while for those age 55 and older it was 34.2%. The report also notes differences by gender: “In 2024, 40.1% of women and 37.1% of men age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
Among employed workers in the United States last year, nearly half—49.3%—had attained either a high school diploma or an associate degree as their highest level of education, while another 44.5% held at least a bachelor’s degree; only 6.1% did not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Occupational differences were also highlighted in the findings: “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.” Installation, maintenance, and repair jobs had the highest percentage (78.3%) of workers whose top credential was a high school diploma or associate degree.
Industry-specific trends showed that transportation and utilities had the largest share (67.5%) of employees with no more than a high school diploma or associate degree, while information (64.9%) as well as education and health services (61.2%) industries led with employees holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
The Census Bureau emphasized that all comparative statements reported are statistically significant at the ten percent significance level unless otherwise noted.
For further details about confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling errors, nonsampling errors, and definitions used in this release can be found within technical documentation provided by the Census Bureau.
