February 2005

Educational Attainment in 2003: High School Diploma or Higher

Very few people would deny that there is a positive relationship between
economic development and education. How does the Fourth Federal Reserve District stack up against the nation? It depends on the state.

Of the four states in the District, West Virginia had the nation’s second lowest share (78.7%) of residents 25 or older with at least a high school diploma in 2003, less than every state except Texas. West Virginia was about 10 percentage points lower than Ohio, the Fourth District leader. Kentucky was in between, with 82.8% of adults obtaining a high school diploma. The national average was 84.6%.

Educational Attainment in 2003: Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Not surprisingly, educational attainment at the college level shows a similar pattern. Of the 50 states, West Virginia had the lowest rate of adults
(people 25 or older) with at least a bachelor’s degree (15.3%). This rate was one-third as high as Washington D.C., the area where the highest share of residents held at least a bachelor’s degree. Massachusetts, at 37.6%, led every other state. In Kentucky, 21.3% of the adult population had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Ohio and Pennsylvania, the other Fourth District states, were near the national average of 27.2%.