What does this measure?

The number of residents with a particular level of education, expressed as a percentage of all residents 25 and older, broken down by race and ethnicity.

Why is this important?

An educated population makes a more attractive workforce and is better prepared to instruct the next generation of residents. High educational attainment represents a region's investment in human capital and preparation for long-term growth.

How is the region performing?

The proportion of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2013-17 was highest among Asian residents (57%) in the Mid-Hudson Valley, followed by white (32%), African American (21%), and Hispanic (20%) residents. These disparities in educational levels among racial and ethnic groups were very similar to those at the state level (excluding NYC).

From 2000 to 2013-17, rates for residents with a bachelor's degree or higher rose 9 percentage points for African American residents, 7 points for Hispanics and white residents, and 1 point for Asian residents.

Local areas with particularly high shares of white residents with a bachelor's degree or higher included Woodstock in Ulster (61%), New Paltz village (65%), and Tuxedo Park village in Orange (70%). The populations in some of the other local areas, when broken down by race and ethnicity, were too small to yield reliable survey results.

Notes about the data

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.