An analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey found that Madison has the fourth largest proportion of college graduates among metropolitan areas of similar size. Researchers ranked metropolitan areas according to the proportion of adults — age 25 and older — with a bachelor’s degree or higher and calculated the five-year change in adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, median earnings for various levels of educational attainment, and the proportion of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Madison area, 48.6% of adults age 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to the national average of 33.1%. Other key findings include:
- Five-year change in adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 8.7%;
- Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $56,609;
- Median earnings for graduate/professional degree holders: $69,268;
- Median earnings for high school graduates: $36,856;
- The proportion of men with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 47.3%; and
- The proportion of women with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 49.9%.
