U.S. nonmetropolitan education levels are improving, but still lag metropolitan areas

U.S. nonmetropolitan areas continue to lag metropolitan areas in educational attainment, but the share of individuals with a college education continues to increase in nonmetro areas. From 2000 to 2023, the share of nonmetro adults with a bachelor’s degree increased from 9.7 percent to 14.7 percent and the share of adults with a graduate or professional degree increased from 5.2 percent to 8.3 percent. However, the share of adults with either a bachelor’s degree or a graduate or professional degree in metro areas increased from 26.3 percent in 2000 to 38.3 percent in 2023, widening the nonmetro-metro gap from 11.4 percentage points to 15.3 percentage points. Overall, adults in nonmetro areas were less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher and more likely to have a high school diploma or equivalent as their highest educational attainment.