New Data on the Gender Gap in Bachelor’s and Advanced Degrees

The U.S. Census Bureau has released an updated report on the educational attainment of the U.S. population in 2021.

The numbers show that nearly 30 million women in the United States have a bachelor’s degree but no graduate degree. Another 17,568,000 women hold a graduate or professional degree.

For men, there are 26,309,000 individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree but no advanced degree. Another 14,925,000 men hold an advanced degree.

On a percentage basis, 31.1 percent of all women ages 25-34 hold a bachelor’s degree but no advanced degree. Another 14.6 percent of women in this age group hold an advanced degree.

Some 26.5 percent of men ages 25-34 hold a bachelor’s degree but no higher credential. Another 9.6 percent of men in this age group hold an advanced degree.

As a result, we see that 45.7 percent of young adult women have graduated from a four-year college. For young adult men, only 36.1 percent are college educated.