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The United States still ranks high when it comes to the percentage of adults holding college degrees. But it’s fallen in some other rankings. Analysts frequently bemoan the state of U.S. education, fretting that the country’s students are falling behind those in other parts of the globe.
When it comes to college education, though, the United States still ranks at the top of most rankings of educational excellence. This is good news: A country needs a well-educated populace if it’s to compete successfully in today’s global economy.
A total of 39 percent of adults from the ages of 35 to 64, in the United States, have an associate’s degree or higher. This ranks the United States second globally. Only in Canada, where the percentage stands at 41 percent, do more 35- to 64-year-olds have this same level of secondary education.
But the news isn’t quite as rosy when it comes to younger adults. Again, 39 percent of U.S. adults from the ages of 25 to 34 have at least an associate’s degree. But this figure is only good enough for seventh place across the globe.
Canada again ranks at the top of this list, with 53 percent of its 25- to 34-year-olds having at least an associate’s degree. Also ranking ahead of the United States are Japan (52 percent), South Korea (47 percent), Finland (40 percent), Norway (40 percent) and Sweden (40 percent). Belgium ties the United States, with 39 percent of its 25- to 34-year-olds achieving at least an associate’s degree.
The United States also ranks high in terms of the percentage of its young adults who enroll in college. This number stands at 35 percent in the United States, good for a tie with Ireland for fifth place globally. Countries ahead of the United States in this category include leader South Korea (48 percent), Greece (43 percent), Finland (37 percent) and Belgium (37 percent).
But there’s some bad news here, too. The United States ranks in the bottom half of countries in terms of students who actually complete their degree programs. Only 17 percent of students enrolled in U.S. colleges actually earn their degrees. This ties the United States with Poland and Spain. It also puts them behind such countries as leader Japan (26 percent), Portugal (25 percent), Britain (24 percent) and Australia (23 percent).
The percentage of adults over the age of 25 who have earned college degrees in the United States varies from state to state. This is little surprise; the United States has always been a diverse country.
The District of Columbia leads the way in this category, with 46.4 percent of its adults over the age of 25 earning at least a bachelor’s degree. Next comes Massachusetts, where 37.6 percent of 25-year-olds and older have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Maryland also ranks high, with 37.2 percent of residents 25 and over having earned a bachelor’s degree or better.
Other states faring well in this category include Colorado (36 percent), Virginia (34.2 percent), New Hampshire (34 percent) and Connecticut (35.3 percent).
No state fared poorer in this category than West Virginia. Only 15.3 percent of adults 25 and over have earned a bachelor’s degree here. But West Virginia isn’t the only state struggling. Other states doing poorly include Arkansas (17.4 percent), Mississippi (19.3 percent) and Wyoming (20.7 percent).
So, is the U.S. secondary education system in bad shape? Not surprisingly, this remains an extremely complex question. The answer to it depends on the numbers you consider.
