American educational attainment soared in the 2010s. The share of the population aged 25 or older with a bachelor's degree grew by 7.6 percentage points between 2010 and 2020—from 29.9 to 37.5 percent. This is a bigger increase than in any other decade. The share grew by another 0.4 percentage points in 2021 and now stands at 37.9 percent.
Percent of population aged 25-plus with a bachelor's degree, 1970 to 2021
2021: 37.9%
2020: 37.5%
2010: 29.9%
2000: 25.6%
1990: 21.3%
1980: 17.0%
1970: 11.0%
Behind the big gain was the record-breaking rise in the share of women with a bachelor's degree—up 8.7 percentage-points between 2010 and 2020. Men's 6.4 percentage-point gain during the 2010s was less than their 6.8 percentage-point gain during the 1980s.
Women are now more likely than men to have a bachelor's degree, a threshold crossed in 2014. As of 2021, fully 39.1 percent of women and 36.6 percent of men are college graduates.
Percent of men and women aged 25-plus with a bachelor's degree, 2000 to 2021
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.6% | 39.1% |
| 2020 | 36.7% | 38.3% |
| 2010 | 30.3% | 29.6% |
| 2000 | 27.8% | 23.6% |
Women in 2021 are 2.5 percentage points more likely than men to have a bachelor's degree. In 2000, women were 4.2 percentage points less likely than men to be college graduates.
Source: Census Bureau, CPS Historical Time Series Tables
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