The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data on the educational attainment of the nation’s adult population.
In 2025, there were 49,166,000 women over the age of 25 in the United States who had earned at least a bachelor’s degree. They represented 40.9 percent of the total adult population of women in the United States.
In comparison, there were 44,922,000 men over the age of 25 in the United States who had earned at least a bachelor’s degree as of 2025, equating to 38.5 percent of the country’s adult male population.
About 15,190,000 adult women held a master’s degree as their highest level of education, compared to 11,370,000 adult men in 2025.
However, there are still more men than women holding professional degrees and doctorates. In 2025, 1,950,000 men and 1,551,000 women held a professional degree, while 3,102,000 men and 2,525,000 women held a doctorate.
Three of every five women over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree were married and living with their spouse. For adult women with only a high school education, 47.4 percent were married and living with their spouse.
Two thirds of all adult women with a bachelor’s degree were employed in 2025, compared to 56.1 percent of all adult women. Some 78 percent of women with a doctorate were employed in 2025 as were 69 percent of women with a professional degree.