Educational Attainment

In the 118th Congress, 94% of representatives and all but one senator hold at least a bachelor’s degree, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

In 2019, 81% of household heads with a bachelor’s degree or more education had a spouse or partner who was also a college graduate.

In the United States, the transience of economic status varies significantly across racial and ethnic groups and by level of education.

The growing gender gap in higher education – in enrollment and graduation rates – has been a topic of conversation and debate in recent months.

College graduates without a college-educated parent have lower incomes and less wealth, on average, than those with a parent who has a bachelor’s or higher degree.

The challenges of a COVID-19 economy are clear for 2020 college graduates, who have experienced downturns in employment and labor force participation.

Nearly half of Black adults say the economic impact of the pandemic will make achieving their financial goals harder in the long term.

Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented in STEM jobs compared with their share of the U.S. workforce.

The charts below allow for comparisons between racial or ethnic groups over time on a range of measures including educational attainment, household income, life expectancy and others. You may select any two groups at a time for comparison.

A median of 62% of adults across the 14 countries surveyed this summer generally believe most people can be trusted.