JAN. 29, 2026 — The percentage of adults age 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased significantly in metropolitan statistical areas (metro areas), up from 34.2% during the 2015-2019 period to 37.8% during the 2020-2024 period, according to new American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Over the last five years, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education,” said Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician. “Approximately 89% of metro areas experienced an increase in the percentage of population 25 years and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher when compared to the 2015-2019 period.”

Among metro areas, the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, experienced one of the largest increases in educational attainment among adults age 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher, from 45.3% in 2015-2019 to 53.4% in 2020-2024. The Springfield, MA metro area was the only metro area that experienced a decline in educational attainment, from 32.8% in 2015-2019 to 29.3% in 2020-2024.

Just as metro areas experienced an increase in educational attainment among the age 25 and over population with a bachelor’s degree or higher, roughly one-half (50.8%) of micropolitan statistical areas (micro areas) also noted an increase in educational attainment in the same age group. The Taos, NM micro area experienced one of the largest positive changes, from 28.7% in 2015-2019 to 38.5% in 2020-2024 (9.8 percentage points).

• Among college graduates age 25 and over who have education as their field of degree, the Gadsden, AL metro area had one of the largest percentage-point increases from 24.5% to 29.1% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. The Elizabethtown, KY metro area had one of the largest percentage-point decreases in the same group from 19.0% to 13.0% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.
• Among college graduates age 25 and over who have science and engineering as their field of degree, the Enid, OK metro area had the largest percentage-point increase from 24.8% to 33.0% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. The Carson City, NV metro area had the largest percentage-point decrease in the same group, from 37.6% to 31.0% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.
• Among college graduates age 25 and over who have arts, humanities or other related fields as their field of degree, the Carson City, NV metro area had one of the largest percentage-point increases from 19.5% to 27.5% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. The Enid, OK metro area had one of the largest percentage-point decreases in the same group, from 21.7% to 15.6% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.

The ACS provides a wide range of statistics about the nation’s people and housing and is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40-plus topics it covers. The release of 2020-2024 5-year estimates now allows users to compare four nonoverlapping sets of 5-year data: 2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015-2019, and 2020-2024. The ability to analyze separate time periods is important for identifying trends for small communities and geographies, which is critical for planning future investments and services.

Below are more highlights from today’s release. 

• The U.S. median household income for the 2020-2024 ACS 5-year period was $80,734.
• Median household income in the United States, adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars, increased 4.4% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.
• The rise in median income was not consistent across all counties. Between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, most counties (71.7% or 2,246) did not have a statistically significant change in median household income. There was an increase in 707 counties and a decrease in 179 counties.
• Most counties had a median household income lower than the U.S. median (73.6%), while 12.9% of all counties had a median household income higher than the U.S. median.

• The ACS 5-year poverty rate for the United States decreased from 13.4% during the 2015-2019 period to 12.5% during the 2020-2024 period.
• Between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 periods, 858 counties had a significant change in poverty rates. The poverty rate decreased in 663 counties and increased in 195 counties.
• For people under the age of 18, poverty changed significantly in 903 counties from the 2015-2019 period to the 2020-2024 period. The poverty rate decreased in 759 counties and increased in 144 counties.
• For people age 65 and over, 896 counties had a significant change in poverty rates between the 2015-2019 period and 2020-2024 period. The poverty rate increased in 819 counties and decreased in 77 counties.
• In the four distinct 5-year nonoverlapping periods since the start of the ACS, 309 counties had a poverty rate of 20.0% or more in each period (2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015-2019, and 2020-2024), and 1,025 counties had a poverty rate of 20.0% or more in at least one of the 5-year time periods.

• The Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area observed the largest increase among metro areas in the share of households with a broadband internet subscription between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, as the percentage rose from 57.5% to 84.4%.
• All metropolitan areas included in both the 2015-2019 and the 2020-2024 ACS 5-year data observed an increase in the share of households with a broadband internet subscription between the two periods. Only the Greenville, MS micro area and the Ruston, LA micro area experienced decreases between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, of which the Greenville, MS micro area had the larger decline (62.4% to 50.2%). The Monroe, LA metro area, the Eagle Pass, TX metro area, and the Laredo, TX metro area had the three largest increases in the share of households with a computer between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.
• The Farmington, NM metro area had the smallest share (72.4%) of households with a broadband subscription in 2020-2024 of all metro areas in the United States.

• The Las Cruces, NM metro area had one of the largest percentage-point increases in English-only speakers at home, rising from 48.7% to 54.7% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.
• The Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area had one of the largest percentage-point decreases in English-only speakers at home, falling from 77.7% to 72.2% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. Spanish was spoken at home by 23.1% of the population in Lakeland-Winter Haven in 2020-2024.

• Among the most populous places, the total number of households significantly increased from 2005-2009 to 2020-2024. For example, New York City, New York, increased by 286,933 households during this period, Los Angeles, California, grew from 1,298,350 households in 2005-2009 to 1,439,097 households in 2020-2024, while Chicago, Illinois, increased from 1,063,047 households to 1,160,205 households during the same period. The total in Phoenix, Arizona, reached 610,442 households in 2020-2024, an increase of about 98,500 households since the 2005-2009 period.
• Among the most populous places, the share of both never-married men and never-married women increased between 2005-2009 and 2020-2024. For example, in Houston, Texas, the share of never-married women age 15 and over jumped from 32.7% in 2005-2009 to 41.0% in 2020-2024, while the share of never-married men age 15 and over rose from 40.1% to 45.2%.

The Census Bureau is set to release ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files on March 5, 2026. To view the complete release schedule, visit the 2024 ACS data release schedule.

For more information on ACS topics, visit Subjects Included in the Survey. To access the full set of statistics released today, visit data.census.gov. ACS estimates from 2005 to 2009 are available via the Application Programming Interface (API) and Summary File — they are not available on data.census.gov. The ACS provides both handbooks and webinars on the API and the Summary File for those looking to access data through these tools. The ACS estimates from 2010 to present are available on data.census.gov, as well as the API and Summary File.

The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineates metro and micro areas according to published standards that are applied to Census Bureau data. Metro areas consist of the county or counties (or equivalent entities) associated with at least one urban area of at least 50,000 population, plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties. Micro areas consist of the county or counties (or equivalent entities) associated with at least one urban area of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties. More information about metro and micro areas can be found on our website.

Statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling errors. All comparisons in the highlights have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90% confidence level, unless otherwise noted. Consult the tables on data.census.gov for specific margins of error. For more information on using margins of error, visit the Code Lists, Definitions, and Accuracy page.

There are several points to consider when comparing ACS estimates over time. For more information on comparing the 2024 statistics, refer to our comparison guidance page.

These statistics would not be possible without the participation of the survey respondents throughout the United States.

###