TALENT Key Performance Indicator
Statewide Educational Attainment Rate
Once a leader in educational attainment beyond high school, the U.S. has fallen behind other industrialized nations in the percentage of adults with a postsecondary credential. When Lumina Foundation established a goal for 60% of Americans to have a certificate or degree by the year 2025, many states followed suit with their own attainment goal. Kentucky's goal is to increase postsecondary attainment among 25-64 year olds to 60% by the year 2030.
Source: Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System using annual data from the American Community Survey (ACS), Kentucky Unemployment Insurance Data and the Current Population Survey.
There are fewer adult degree holders of color in Kentucky.
Removing short-term credentials (certificates and certifications) from Kentucky's attainment rate enables a comparison of adult degree attainment (associate and above) by race/ethnicity. More must be done to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all Kentuckyians.
Source: Lumina Foundation, “A Stronger Nation: Kentucky’s Progress Toward the Goal,” www.luminafoundation.org/stronger-nation/report, 2022.
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education