Population Trends and
Educational Attainment

Educational attainment measures the highest credential earned by an individual at a specific point in time (e.g., a given year). Between 2002 and 2022, overall educational attainment for the U.S. population ages 25 and older increased as more of the population enrolled in and completed some level of postsecondary education. Among all adults ages 25 and older, 48.1 percent had attained an associate degree or higher in 2022, an increase from 35.0 percent in 2002. Although all groups saw gains in postsecondary education degree attainment, Asian (66.5 percent) and White (52.9 percent) adults were much more likely than Black or African American (39.0 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (32.2 percent), and Hispanic or Latino (29.5 percent) adults to have attained an associate degree or higher.