CFED Assets & Opportunity Scorecard
Ratio of the percentage of the white, non-Hispanic population to populations of color 25 years old and over with at least a four-year degree, 2014.
Those with a college degree earn significantly more and accumulate more wealth over time than those with just a high school diploma, but the college attainment gap is increasingly becoming defined by race. This measure describes the disparity in college attainment between the white, non-Hispanic population and populations of color. In almost all states, people of color have lower rates of college attainment. For example, in Colorado, white non-Hispanics are over two times more likely than people of color to have at least four-year degrees (44.4% and 19.8%, respectively).
To see the data disaggregated by race and ethnicity, click on the Data by Race tab below.
Four-Year Degree by Race, 2014
| State | Percent with At Least 4-Year Degree, White (%) | Percent with At Least 4-Year Degree, People of Color (%) | Ratio | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 33.6% | 21.6% | 1.56 | |
| Alabama | 26.1% | 17.2% | 1.52 | 24 |
| Alaska | 33.7% | 16.1% | 2.09 | 45 |
| Arizona | 33.6% | 16.0% | 2.10 | 46 |
| Arkansas | 22.9% | 15.7% | 1.46 | 21 |
| California | 41.6% | 21.3% | 1.95 | 43 |
| Colorado | 44.4% | 19.8% | 2.25 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 42.3% | 24.2% | 1.75 | 37 |
| Delaware | 32.1% | 26.3% | 1.22 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 90.3% | 31.8% | 2.84 | 51 |
| Florida | 30.9% | 21.6% | 1.43 | 19 |
| Georgia | 33.1% | 22.7% | 1.46 | 20 |
| Hawaii | 43.9% | 26.2% | 1.68 | 30 |
| Idaho | 26.7% | 12.5% | 2.14 | 47 |
| Illinois | 36.6% | 23.0% | 1.59 | 27 |
| Indiana | 25.5% | 19.2% | 1.33 | 13 |
| Iowa | 28.0% | 22.9% | 1.22 | 6 |
| Kansas | 33.9% | 20.0% | 1.70 | 33 |
| Kentucky | 22.5% | 19.8% | 1.13 | 4 |
| Louisiana | 26.9% | 16.0% | 1.69 | 32 |
| Maine | 29.4% | 26.8% | 1.10 | 2 |
| Maryland | 43.1% | 30.9% | 1.40 | 16 |
| Massachusetts | 44.1% | 27.9% | 1.58 | 26 |
| Michigan | 28.4% | 22.8% | 1.25 | 7 |
| Minnesota | 35.7% | 24.5% | 1.46 | 22 |
| Mississippi | 24.6% | 15.4% | 1.59 | 28 |
| Missouri | 28.4% | 22.4% | 1.27 | 11 |
| Montana | 30.7% | 15.9% | 1.93 | 41 |
| Nebraska | 31.3% | 18.4% | 1.70 | 34 |
| Nevada | 27.7% | 15.2% | 1.82 | 38 |
| New Hampshire | 35.0% | 34.6% | 1.01 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 41.2% | 28.9% | 1.43 | 17 |
| New Mexico | 39.4% | 15.0% | 2.63 | 50 |
| New York | 40.5% | 23.4% | 1.73 | 36 |
| North Carolina | 32.3% | 20.0% | 1.62 | 29 |
| North Dakota | 28.2% | 22.3% | 1.27 | 9 |
| Ohio | 27.5% | 21.7% | 1.27 | 10 |
| Oklahoma | 26.3% | 17.4% | 1.51 | 23 |
| Oregon | 32.5% | 21.1% | 1.54 | 25 |
| Pennsylvania | 30.5% | 21.3% | 1.43 | 18 |
| Rhode Island | 33.5% | 17.6% | 1.90 | 39 |
| South Carolina | 31.0% | 16.2% | 1.91 | 40 |
| South Dakota | 29.3% | 17.4% | 1.69 | 31 |
| Tennessee | 26.7% | 19.6% | 1.36 | 14 |
| Texas | 36.3% | 18.6% | 1.95 | 42 |
| Utah | 33.8% | 16.6% | 2.04 | 44 |
| Vermont | 35.1% | 31.3% | 1.12 | 3 |
| Virginia | 40.3% | 29.1% | 1.38 | 15 |
| Washington | 34.7% | 26.3% | 1.32 | 12 |
| West Virginia | 18.9% | 23.8% | 1.26 | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 29.9% | 17.5% | 1.71 | 35 |
| Wyoming | 28.4% | 11.7% | 2.42 | 49 |
Four-Year College Degree, by Race and Ethnicity
| Four-Year College Degree (%) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | White | People of Color | Black | Asian | Native American | Hispanic | |
| United States | 33.6% | 21.6% | 19.7% | 51.5% | 13.9% | 14.4% | |
| Alabama | 26.1% | 17.2% | 15.6% | 49.1% | 22.9% | 16.2% | |
| Alaska | 33.7% | 16.1% | 16.8% | 30.0% | 7.3% | 16.7% | |
| Arizona | 33.6% | 16.0% | 24.5% | 50.6% | 9.6% | 11.7% | |
| Arkansas | 22.9% | 15.7% | 15.1% | 50.4% | 17.0% | 8.5% | |
| California | 41.6% | 21.3% | 22.7% | 50.0% | 13.5% | 11.4% | |
| Colorado | 44.4% | 19.8% | 23.2% | 51.5% | 19.4% | 13.6% | |
| Connecticut | 42.3% | 24.2% | 21.3% | 65.6% | 23.6% | 16.7% | |
| Delaware | 32.1% | 26.3% | 22.8% | 69.9% | — | 15.9% | |
| District of Columbia | 90.3% | 31.8% | 25.1% | 76.6% | — | 41.9% | |
| Florida | 30.9% | 21.6% | 17.1% | 44.8% | 15.0% | 21.6% | |
| Georgia | 33.1% | 22.7% | 21.0% | 52.2% | 24.6% | 15.4% | |
| Hawaii | 43.9% | 26.2% | 24.8% | 31.5% | — | 21.2% | |
| Idaho | 26.7% | 12.5% | 19.1% | 37.2% | 13.6% | 8.4% | |
| Illinois | 36.6% | 23.0% | 20.8% | 62.6% | 23.9% | 13.4% | |
| Indiana | 25.5% | 19.2% | 16.3% | 57.1% | 15.0% | 12.6% | |
| Iowa | 28.0% | 22.9% | 19.1% | 51.9% | 15.0% | 12.9% | |
| Kansas | 33.9% | 20.0% | 19.6% | 50.0% | 19.0% | 12.4% | |
| Kentucky | 22.5% | 19.8% | 16.3% | 53.2% | 15.4% | 16.2% | |
| Louisiana | 26.9% | 16.0% | 14.1% | 42.0% | 11.7% | 18.0% | |
| Maine | 29.4% | 26.8% | 23.0% | 42.2% | 14.4% | 29.8% | |
| Maryland | 43.1% | 30.9% | 27.2% | 63.4% | 19.3% | 21.8% | |
| Massachusetts | 44.1% | 27.9% | 23.3% | 57.5% | 19.8% | 17.3% | |
| Michigan | 28.4% | 22.8% | 16.9% | 63.4% | 12.5% | 16.5% | |
| Minnesota | 35.7% | 24.5% | 18.6% | 43.0% | 9.5% | 16.0% | |
| Mississippi | 24.6% | 15.4% | 15.1% | 35.8% | 6.1% | 12.3% | |
| Missouri | 28.4% | 22.4% | 17.3% | 58.7% | 19.6% | 20.8% | |
| Montana | 30.7% | 15.9% | — | 35.3% | 10.9% | 20.3% | |
| Nebraska | 31.3% | 18.4% | 24.2% | 41.6% | 12.7% | 10.3% | |
| Nevada | 27.7% | 15.2% | 14.3% | 37.4% | 12.0% | 8.9% | |
| New Hampshire | 35.0% | 34.6% | 29.5% | 56.1% | — | 18.8% | |
| New Jersey | 41.2% | 28.9% | 22.9% | 67.8% | 18.6% | 17.3% | |
| New Mexico | 39.4% | 15.0% | 26.7% | 56.9% | 10.9% | 14.1% | |
| New York | 40.5% | 23.4% | 22.9% | 44.3% | 17.2% | 17.4% | |
| North Carolina | 32.3% | 20.0% | 19.6% | 53.3% | 12.5% | 12.6% | |
| North Dakota | 28.2% | 22.3% | — | 62.6% | 12.4% | 14.3% | |
| Ohio | 27.5% | 21.7% | 15.8% | 63.1% | 17.8% | 18.0% | |
| Oklahoma | 26.3% | 17.4% | 18.0% | 42.0% | 16.6% | 10.2% | |
| Oregon | 32.5% | 21.1% | 25.6% | 48.5% | 11.9% | 12.7% | |
| Pennsylvania | 30.5% | 21.3% | 16.4% | 53.0% | 18.7% | 13.8% | |
| Rhode Island | 33.5% | 17.6% | 19.9% | 33.9% | — | 13.0% | |
| South Carolina | 31.0% | 16.2% | 14.7% | 48.4% | 21.6% | 14.1% | |
| South Dakota | 29.3% | 17.4% | 22.9% | 42.3% | 9.5% | 23.6% | |
| Tennessee | 26.7% | 19.6% | 18.2% | 50.2% | 16.4% | 14.0% | |
| Texas | 36.3% | 18.6% | 21.8% | 57.9% | 17.0% | 13.0% | |
| Utah | 33.8% | 16.6% | 23.0% | 42.5% | 12.1% | 12.2% | |
| Vermont | 35.1% | 31.3% | 37.0% | 36.8% | — | 31.5% | |
| Virginia | 40.3% | 29.1% | 21.7% | 57.9% | 22.3% | 22.5% | |
| Washington | 34.7% | 26.3% | 21.8% | 48.2% | 10.6% | 14.5% | |
| West Virginia | 18.9% | 23.8% | 18.2% | 60.4% | — | 22.4% | |
| Wisconsin | 29.9% | 17.5% | 12.8% | 44.5% | 13.8% | 12.2% | |
| Wyoming | 28.4% | 11.7% | 17.8% | — | 5.0% | 10.9% | |
"—" indicates that no data is available.
Estimates for White adults are generated for the White, non-Hispanic population. Likewise, estimates for Hispanic adults include all adults of Hispanic or Latino origin, regardless of race.
Change in Four-Year Degree by Race
| Four-Year Degree by Race (Ratio) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| United States | 1.62 | 1.59 | 1.62 | 1.59 | 1.59 | 1.57 | 1.56 | 1.56 |
| Alabama | 1.56 | 1.56 | 1.57 | 1.56 | 1.65 | 1.52 | 1.47 | 1.52 |
| Alaska | 2.67 | 2.06 | 2.09 | 2.02 | 2.06 | 1.96 | 2.13 | 2.09 |
| Arizona | 2.45 | 2.32 | 2.23 | 2.23 | 2.31 | 2.04 | 2.26 | 2.10 |
| Arkansas | 1.67 | 1.57 | 1.69 | 1.59 | 1.50 | 1.54 | 1.60 | 1.46 |
| California | 2.03 | 2.00 | 2.03 | 1.95 | 1.95 | 1.96 | 1.94 | 1.95 |
| Colorado | 2.36 | 2.35 | 2.34 | 2.64 | 2.36 | 2.29 | 2.37 | 2.25 |
| Connecticut | 1.75 | 1.73 | 1.89 | 1.92 | 1.86 | 1.72 | 1.86 | 1.75 |
| Delaware | 1.45 | 1.21 | 1.43 | 1.25 | 1.46 | 1.31 | 1.27 | 1.22 |
| District of Columbia | 3.28 | 3.42 | 3.32 | 3.04 | 3.12 | 2.98 | 2.77 | 2.84 |
| Florida | 1.40 | 1.39 | 1.41 | 1.43 | 1.45 | 1.40 | 1.40 | 1.43 |
| Georgia | 1.53 | 1.51 | 1.59 | 1.54 | 1.45 | 1.47 | 1.46 | 1.46 |
| Hawaii | 1.82 | 1.72 | 1.72 | 1.71 | 1.56 | 1.64 | 1.65 | 1.68 |
| Idaho | 1.90 | 2.11 | 2.20 | 2.31 | 1.94 | 2.13 | 2.00 | 2.14 |
| Illinois | 1.74 | 1.60 | 1.69 | 1.62 | 1.67 | 1.62 | 1.63 | 1.59 |
| Indiana | 1.32 | 1.35 | 1.43 | 1.32 | 1.35 | 1.30 | 1.39 | 1.33 |
| Iowa | 1.23 | 1.25 | 1.35 | 1.43 | 1.40 | 1.34 | 1.30 | 1.22 |
| Kansas | 1.81 | 1.58 | 1.80 | 1.64 | 1.71 | 1.80 | 1.73 | 1.70 |
| Kentucky | 1.21 | 1.14 | 1.24 | 1.18 | 1.11 | 1.17 | 1.12 | 1.13 |
| Louisiana | 1.69 | 1.75 | 1.75 | 1.65 | 1.76 | 1.73 | 1.62 | 1.69 |
| Maine | 1.36 | 1.16 | 1.28 | 1.16 | 1.19 | 1.19 | 1.05 | 1.10 |
| Maryland | 1.39 | 1.41 | 1.42 | 1.44 | 1.39 | 1.44 | 1.44 | 1.40 |
| Massachusetts | 1.55 | 1.49 | 1.55 | 1.53 | 1.56 | 1.57 | 1.49 | 1.58 |
| Michigan | 1.32 | 1.36 | 1.30 | 1.29 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 1.29 | 1.25 |
| Minnesota | 1.33 | 1.36 | 1.41 | 1.42 | 1.48 | 1.33 | 1.39 | 1.46 |
| Mississippi | 1.90 | 1.76 | 1.82 | 1.66 | 1.61 | 1.66 | 1.67 | 1.59 |
| Missouri | 1.43 | 1.34 | 1.34 | 1.33 | 1.30 | 1.34 | 1.36 | 1.27 |
| Montana | 2.60 | 1.68 | 1.80 | 1.76 | 1.85 | 1.84 | 1.97 | 1.93 |
| Nebraska | 1.86 | 1.77 | 1.91 | 1.79 | 1.88 | 1.74 | 1.87 | 1.70 |
| Nevada | 1.69 | 1.60 | 1.70 | 1.63 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 1.81 | 1.82 |
| New Hampshire | 1.09 | 1.20 | 1.04 | 1.08 | 1.16 | 1.05 | 1.01 | 1.01 |
| New Jersey | 1.41 | 1.37 | 1.42 | 1.43 | 1.44 | 1.43 | 1.41 | 1.43 |
| New Mexico | 2.85 | 2.73 | 2.74 | 2.77 | 2.99 | 2.67 | 2.47 | 2.63 |
| New York | 1.72 | 1.70 | 1.70 | 1.75 | 1.75 | 1.75 | 1.72 | 1.73 |
| North Carolina | 1.73 | 1.71 | 1.71 | 1.69 | 1.76 | 1.73 | 1.66 | 1.62 |
| North Dakota | 1.18 | 1.85 | 1.51 | 1.42 | 1.58 | 1.20 | 1.61 | 1.27 |
| Ohio | 1.29 | 1.25 | 1.30 | 1.28 | 1.25 | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.27 |
| Oklahoma | 1.68 | 1.45 | 1.60 | 1.54 | 1.52 | 1.62 | 1.63 | 1.51 |
| Oregon | 1.55 | 1.47 | 1.56 | 1.56 | 1.59 | 1.54 | 1.51 | 1.54 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.38 | 1.37 | 1.45 | 1.42 | 1.45 | 1.43 | 1.38 | 1.43 |
| Rhode Island | 1.92 | 1.83 | 2.03 | 2.17 | 2.07 | 1.95 | 2.00 | 1.90 |
| South Carolina | 1.91 | 2.08 | 1.97 | 1.90 | 2.00 | 1.85 | 1.88 | 1.91 |
| South Dakota | 1.78 | 1.87 | 1.80 | 1.77 | 1.82 | 1.95 | 1.85 | 1.69 |
| Tennessee | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.36 | 1.40 | 1.35 | 1.37 | 1.35 | 1.36 |
| Texas | 2.29 | 2.19 | 2.25 | 2.12 | 2.07 | 2.07 | 1.97 | 1.95 |
| Utah | 2.03 | 1.77 | 2.12 | 2.12 | 1.89 | 1.84 | 1.93 | 2.04 |
| Vermont | 1.00 | 1.09 | 1.13 | 1.22 | 1.02 | 1.10 | 1.12 | 1.12 |
| Virginia | 1.48 | 1.46 | 1.46 | 1.40 | 1.37 | 1.39 | 1.37 | 1.38 |
| Washington | 1.38 | 1.38 | 1.29 | 1.41 | 1.43 | 1.36 | 1.35 | 1.32 |
| West Virginia | 1.12 | 1.11 | 0.84 | 1.19 | 1.12 | 1.20 | 1.11 | 1.26 |
| Wisconsin | 1.68 | 1.48 | 1.61 | 1.59 | 1.62 | 1.72 | 1.68 | 1.71 |
| Wyoming | 1.81 | 2.50 | 2.62 | 1.77 | 1.74 | 1.95 | 1.66 | 2.42 |
Definition
Ratio of the percentage of the white, non-Hispanic population to populations of color (Black or African-American; American Indian and Native Alaskan; Asian; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander; Hispanic or Latino; some other race; two or more races) 25 years old and over with at least a four-year degree, 2014.
Calculated by dividing the higher value by the lower value (i.e., the percentage of the white population with at least a four-year degree divided the percentage of populations of color with at least a four-year degree, except in West Virginia, where people of color have higher rates of college attainment).
A ratio of 1 indicates perfect equality; the higher the ratio, the greater the inequality.
Source
| 2014 American Community Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2015. |
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