45%
Share of adults in the region 25 years and older who have a bachelor's degree or higher26%
Educational attainment of people in households with lower income is 26 percentage points lower than those in other households3%
Educational attainment for white non-Hispanic people in the region is 3 percentage points higher than for people of colorEducation is associated with a wide range of benefits to both individuals and society. People with higher levels of education are more likely to find employment, remain employed, learn new skills on the job, and earn more over their working life relative to those with lower levels of education.
For this measure, educational attainment is defined as adults 25 years and older who have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Go to: Educational Attainment Map | Educational Attainment Now | Educational Attainment Trend
Educational Attainment Map
Educational Attainment by Census Tract
Percent of individuals 25 years or older with a Bachelor's degree or higher
Percent of individuals 25 years or older with a Bachelor's degree or higher
Source(s): U.S. Census Bureau, 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1501; U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division 2020 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
Insights & Analysis
- King County has the highest share of adults 25 years and older who have a bachelor’s degree or higher (55%), followed by Snohomish and Kitsap (35%), and Pierce (29%).
- Five census tracts with the highest educational attainment are all in King County neighborhoods: Laurelhurst (Seattle), Westlake (Seattle), Pike/Pine area of Capitol Hill (Seattle), Spring District/Bel-Red (Bellevue), and Northlake (Seattle).
- The census tract with the highest educational attainment located outside of King County is in the Mill Creek area of Snohomish County (83%).
- Educational attainment in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, the region's highest (95%).
- Educational attainment in a census tract in Monroe, Snohomish County, the region's lowest (3%).
Source(s): U.S. Census Bureau, 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample
Insights & Analysis
- Snohomish County is the only county where people of color have a higher educational attainment than white non-Hispanic people, 39% vs. 34%.
- Educational attainment is lower for people in households with lower income than those in other households for all counties; the gap is smallest in Pierce County (19 percentage points), followed by Kitsap and Snohomish Counties (21 percentage points), and King County (31 percentage points).
- Educational attainment is lower for people with disabilities than those without in the region and King County is the only county with a larger gap (25 percentage points) than the region (21 percentage points).
- Share of people in households with limited English proficiency who have a bachelor’s degree or higher is 32%, 14 percentage points lower than people in households proficient in English.
- Educational attainment for people in households with limited English proficiency is 22 percentage points lower than people in households proficient in English in King County, the largest such gap in the region, while the smallest gap is in Snohomish County (five percentage points).
Educational Attainment Trend
Source(s): U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample
Insights & Analysis
- Regionally, educational attainment among people of color is lower (43%) than white non-Hispanic people (46%), a relatively consistent gap in the last decade.
- In 2022, the difference in educational attainment between people in households with limited English proficiency and those who are in households proficient in English was 14%, a relatively consistent gap over the last decade.
- In 2022, people in households with lower income have lower educational attainment (23%) than people in other households (49%), a difference two percentage points larger than in 2012.
- In Kitsap County, the share of adults 25 years or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher has increased for people of color (by 4 percentage points) and white non-Hispanic people (by 7 percentage points) over the past decade. There was also an increase of 5 percentage points among people of color in Pierce County. Increases in educational attainment among people of color were larger in Snohomish (9 percentage points) and King County (16 percentage points).
- The difference in educational attainment between people in households with lower income and those in other households has increased in three of the four counties over the past decade: increasing in Pierce County (+12%), King County (+7%), and Kitsap County (+5%), while remaining the constant in Snohomish County.
- The difference in educational attainment between people with a disability and those without a disability between 2012 and 2022 stayed consistent in all counties while both cohorts both saw education attainment increase over the decade.