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Indicator 27: Educational Attainment
(Last Updated: February 2019)

In 2016, the percentage of adults age 25 and over who had not completed high school was higher for Hispanic adults (33 percent) than for adults in any other racial/ethnic group (with percentages ranging from a low of 8 percent for White adults to a high of 17 percent for American Indian/Alaska Native adults).

Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education completed (e.g., a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, some college, or a bachelor’s degree). In general, higher educational attainment is associated with higher median earnings and higher employment rates.1 This indicator examines educational attainment by race/ethnicity, focusing on adults age 25 and older at the lowest educational attainment level (less than high school completion), an intermediate attainment level (some college but no degree), and highest educational attainment level (a bachelor’s or higher degree).


Figure 27.1. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had not completed high school, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016

Figure 27.1. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had not completed high school, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016


1 Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown as well as respondents who wrote in some other race that was not included as an option on the questionnaire and therefore could not be placed into any of the other groups.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010 and 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 104.40.


The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had not completed high school decreased from 14 percent in 2010 to 13 percent in 2016, a pattern also observed for most racial/ethnic groups. The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had not completed high school was lower in 2016 than 2010 for those who were White (8 and 9 percent, respectively), Black (15 and 18 percent, respectively), Hispanic (33 and 38 percent, respectively), Asian (13 and 14 percent, respectively), American Indian/Alaska Native (17 and 20 percent, respectively), and of Two or more races (9 and 12 percent, respectively).


Figure 27.2. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed some college but had not earned a degree, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016

Figure 27.2. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed some college but had not earned a degree, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016


1 Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown as well as respondents who wrote in some other race that was not included as an option on the questionnaire and therefore could not be placed into any of the other groups.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010 and 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 104.40.


The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed some college but had not earned a degree decreased from 21.3 percent in 2010 to 20.6 percent in 2016. Similarly, the percentages for White and Asian adults were lower in 2016 than 2010. However, the percentages of adults 25 and older from the other racial/ethnic groups who had completed some college but had not earned a degree were not measurably different between 2010 and 2016.


Figure 27.3. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed a bachelor’s or higher degree, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016

Figure 27.3. Percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed a bachelor’s or higher degree, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2016


1 Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown as well as respondents who wrote in some other race that was not included as an option on the questionnaire and therefore could not be placed into any of the other groups.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010 and 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 104.40.


The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed a bachelor’s or higher degree increased from 28 percent in 2010 to 31 percent in 2016. Similarly, the percentage who had completed a bachelor’s or higher degree was higher in 2016 than 2010 for adults who were White (35 and 31 percent, respectively), Black (21 and 18 percent, respectively), Hispanic (15 and 13 percent, respectively), Asian (54 and 50 percent, respectively), Pacific Islander (18 and 15 percent, respectively), and of Two or more races (34 and 29 percent, respectively).


Figure 27.4. Percentage distribution of educational attainment of adults age 25 and older, by race/ethnicity: 2016


1 Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown as well as respondents who wrote in some other race that was not included as an option on the questionnaire and therefore could not be placed into any of the other groups.
NOTE: High school completers include diploma recipients and those completing high school through alternative credentials, such as a GED. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 104.40.


In 2016, the percentage of adults age 25 and older who had not completed high school was highest for Hispanic adults (33 percent) followed by 17 percent of American Indian Alaska Native adults, 15 percent of Black adults, 13 percent of Asian adults, 13 percent of Pacific Islander adults, 9 percent of adults of Two or more races, and 8 percent of White adults. Most of the differences between these racial/ethnic groups were statistically significant; the exceptions were that the percentage of Pacific Islander adults who did not complete high school was not measurably different from the percentages of both Black and Asian adults.

The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had completed some college but had not earned a degree in 2016 was highest for American Indian/Alaska Native adults (26 percent) followed by 25 percent each for adults of Two or more races, Pacific Islander adults, and Black adults. Among the other racial/ethnic groups, 21 percent of White adults, 18 percent of Hispanic adults, and 12 percent of Asian adults had completed some college but had not earned a degree. While most of the differences between the racial/ethnic groups were measurably different, there were some that were not measurably different. The percentage of Pacific Islander adults who had completed some college but had not earned a degree was not measurably different from the corresponding percentages for adults who were Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races. In addition, the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native adults who had completed some college but not earned a degree was not measurably different from the corresponding percentage for adults of Two or more races.

The percentage of adults age 25 and older who had earned a bachelor’s or higher degree in 2016 was highest for Asian adults (54 percent). Among the other racial/ethnic groups, 35 percent of White adults, 34 percent of adults of Two or more races, 21 percent of Black adults, 18 percent of Pacific Islander adults, and 15 percent each of American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic adults had earned a bachelor’s or higher degree. Most of the differences between these racial/ethnic groups were statistically significant; the exception was that there was no measurable difference between American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic adults.

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Endnotes

1 See Earnings and Employment.