State’s educational attainment rate edges closer to 2030 goal

April 07, 2025

The percentage of working-age Kentuckians with a postsecondary certificate or degree has risen to 56.2 percent, according to analysis from the Council on Postsecondary Education. This figure is up 1.1 percentage points over the previous year and 5.9 points over the last five years. The state’s goal is to reach an educational attainment rate of 60 percent by the year 2030.

“Across the board, states with highly educated workforces are more economically competitive and prosperous,” said Dr. Aaron Thompson, CPE president. “Over my career, I’ve watched Kentucky’s attainment level move from the bottom third of states to at or near the national average. This progress has resulted in greater economic opportunity for thousands of Kentuckians and a much stronger economic base for the state.”

The attainment figure is based on the proportion of Kentucky adults (ages 25-64) who have earned a postsecondary degree (at the associate, bachelor’s or graduate level) or a short-term certificate or industry certification. Using population and wage data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Center for Statistics, CPE estimates that:

• 16.7 percent of Kentuckians have a postsecondary certificate or industry certification;
• 9.9 percent have an associate degree;
• 18.2 percent have a bachelor’s degree; and
• 11.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

For comparison, 9.2 percent of Americans have an associate degree, 23.4 percent have a bachelor’s degree and 14.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree, according to Lumina Foundation, a national education nonprofit. Comparable data for certificates/certifications is not available because Kentucky employs a different methodology than Lumina.

“Analysts predict that by the year 2031, 63 percent of all Kentucky jobs will require some education or training after high school,” said Travis Muncie, CPE’s Chief Information Officer. “While you won’t necessarily need a four-year degree, you will need some kind of technical or vocational training after high school to achieve long-term economic security.”

You can read more about Kentucky’s progress toward its educational attainment goal at https://cpe.ky.gov/ourwork/60x30.html.