November 2006

Educational Attainment in 2005: Bachelor's Degree

According to the 2005 American Community Survey, 16.9% of West Virginia residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree. This is the lowest share of any state, 10 percentage points below the national average, and nearly 2 percentage points below Mississippi, the second-lowest state. Kentucky has a similarly low proportion of bachelor’s degree holders, the fourth-lowest share of any state. Nonetheless, both of these states have been gaining ground: Since 2000, West Virginia’s number of bachelor’s degree holders has increased by 20.2% and Kentucky’s by 18.5%, outpacing the U.S. average growth of 15.8%. In Ohio, 23.3% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree; in Pennsylvania, the share is 25.7%. The national mark is 27.2%

Educational Attainment in 2005: Advanced Degrees

As for advanced degrees, 6.8% of West Virginians hold a degree past the bachelor’s. West Virginia’s percentage makes it the fourth-lowest state, which is not statistically different from the bottom spot. Kentucky had 1% more advanced degree holders than did West Virginia; at 9.8%, Pennsylvania was the Fourth District state that came closest to the national share of 10.0%. Whereas the U.S. as a whole has raised its number of advanced degree holders by 18.4% since 2000, every District state increased its number by a greater percentage. The most successful were Ohio, which increased its number of advanced degree holders by 28.1%, and West Virginia, which posted a gain of 26.8%.