Educational Attainment Subscribe to Educational Attainment Publications

05.10.13

Record Share of New Mothers are College Educated

Mothers with infant children1 in the U.S. today are more educated than they ever have been. In 2011, more than six-in-ten (66%) had at least some college education, while 34% had a high school diploma or less and just 14% lacked a high school diploma, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of [...]

04.04.13

Demographics of Asian Americans

The demographic data shown here display the varied population sizes and characteristics of the largest Asian origin groups. The numbers shown here come from two Census Bureau sources. The population rankings use counts from the 2010 Census for the total Asian-American population and for 20 Asian origin subgroups. The adult characteristics table is derived from [...]

11.05.12

Record Shares of Young Adults Have Finished Both High School and College

Record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available census data. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29-year-olds have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. These across-the-board increases have occurred despite [...]

11.05.12

Higher Achievements: U.S. High School and College Completion Rates Continue to Climb

Record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29-year-olds have completed at least a bachelor’s degree.

08.17.11

Gender and Education

The gender gap in college education is the subject of a new Pew Research Center report that includes analysis of public opinion data and of Census Bureau statistics. Women surpass men among recent college graduates, and women also have a more positive view of the value of a college education. The report includes Current Population [...]

08.17.11

Women See Value and Benefits of College; Men Lag on Both Fronts, Survey Finds

At a time when women surpass men by record numbers in college enrollment and completion, they also have a more positive view than men about the value higher education provides.

05.15.11

Is College Worth It?

College costs are rising, student debt is mounting, and most Americans say college fails to deliver good value for the money. Meantime, only 19% of college presidents say the U.S. system is the best in the world. However, more than eight-in-ten college graduates say college was a good investment for them personally.

10.07.10

Marriage and College

Throughout the 20th century, college-educated Americans were less likely to be married by age 30 than Americans without a college degree.

10.07.10

The Reversal of the College Marriage Gap

In a reversal of long-standing marital patterns, college-educated young adults are more likely than young adults lacking a bachelor’s degree to have married by the age of 30.

06.25.10

Childlessness Up Among All Women; Down Among Women with Advanced Degrees

Nearly one-in-five American women ends her childbearing years without having borne a child, compared with one-in-ten in the 1970s. While childlessness has risen for all racial and ethnic groups, and most education levels, it has fallen over the past decade for women with advanced degrees.

06.16.10

Minorities and the Recession-Era College Enrollment Boom

The recession-era boom in the size of freshman classes at four-year colleges, community colleges and trade schools has been driven largely by a sharp increase in minority student enrollment.

05.13.10

Census Data Point to Low Hispanic GED Attainment

Among Americans who have not obtained a regular high school diploma, Hispanics are less likely than members of other major U.S. race and ethnic groups to acquire a General Educational Development (GED) credential.

10.29.09

College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge

The share of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college in the United States hit an all-time high in October 2008, driven by a recession-era surge in enrollments at community colleges.