NC in Focus: Smart Cities

Statewide, the educational attainment of North Carolina’s adult population is similar to national patterns. Among North Carolina residents 25 and older:

• 17.8% have a bachelor’s degree
• 6.4% have a master’s degree
• 1.5% have a professional degree (e.g., MD or JD)
• 1.1% have a doctorate degree

Within the state, North Carolina’s metropolitan areas have much higher concentrations of highly educated individuals. For example, 48% of adults in Wake and 40% of adults in Mecklenburg have a bachelor’s or  more. And, these educated populations are growing. Recent research from New Geography found that Raleigh and Charlotte are ranked 10^th and 13^th, respectively, among cities for growth in the population with bachelor’s degrees or higher.

These maps show adults by varying degrees of educational attainment (BA+, MA+, and PhD) for each of the state’s 6,155 block groups based on 2008-2012 American Community Survey data.

Learn more:

• America’s New Brainpower Cities, New Geography
• Smart Metros: Charlotte and North Carolina, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
• State of Metropolitan America: Educational Attainment, Brookings