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.
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.