Higher Education Lagging in Rural and Mixed-Rural Counties

Forty-eight percent of adults living in rural counties*, 37 million people, have not received a college degree or participated in college courses. By comparison, 39% of urban and mixed-urban county residents have not received a college degree or enrolled in college courses. With more and more jobs requiring post-secondary degrees, increasing rural access to higher education and job training programs will be critical to expanding opportunity and advancing economic success for adults and their children. For ideas on expanding rural access to college courses, read this story on the Franklin County Community College Network.

Note: Census numbers exclude job training and certification programs.

Adults in rural areas* without college degrees or college coursework
State	Number	Percent		% decrease since 2000
Alabama	1,160,880	52%		-11%
Alaska	158,898	36%		-9%
Arizona	709,495	42%		-12%
Arkansas	897,398	54%		-12%
California	3,092,958	45%		-7%
Colorado	513,895	35%		-11%
Connecticut	93,737	44%		-12%
Delaware	124,057	50%		-12%
Florida	1,393,245	47%		-11%
Georgia	1,285,062	57%		-11%
Hawaii	116,242	41%		-11%
Idaho	260,222	42%		-9%
Illinois	1,033,873	46%		-14%
Indiana	1,087,942	55%		-11%
Iowa	719,021	44%		-14%
Kansas	401,458	43%		-12%
Kentucky	1,119,653	58%		-12%
Louisiana	1,097,640	57%		-10%
Maine	346,469	47%		-14%
Maryland	214,591	48%		-14%
Massachusetts	95,916	37%		-13%
Michigan	1,137,966	48%		-11%
Minnesota	703,402	42%		-15%
Mississippi	844,758	50%		-12%
Missouri	1,012,421	53%		-12%
Montana	257,519	38%		-13%
Nebraska**	263,292	46%		-12%
Nevada	777,065	44%		-9%
New Hampshire	142,643	41%		-13%
New Jersey	122,607	39%		-12%
New Mexico	412,593	46%		-10%
New York	1,104,367	46%		-13%
North Carolina	1,683,749	50%		-15%
North Dakota	162,615	37%		-17%
Ohio	1,430,342	56%		-11%
Oklahoma	721,935	51%		-11%
Oregon	675,768	39%		-12%
Pennsylvania	1,372,381	57%		-12%
Rhode Island**
South Carolina	915,970	51%		-13%
South Dakota	222,044	42%		-14%
Tennessee	1,297,098	56%		-12%
Texas	2,641,039	50%		-11%
Utah	206,708	32%		-12%
Vermont	172,477	40%		-13%
Virginia	935,761	51%		-14%
Washington	598,367	40%		-12%
West Virginia	649,477	59%		-10%
Wisconsin	964,784	47%		-13%
Wyoming	142,748	38%		-11%
All States	37,494,549	48%		-12%

Data notes

* Figures calculated by comparing the 2000 Census and the 2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Population Estimates and using county rural, mixed-rural, mixed-urban, and urban designations developed by A. Isserman. Adults includes all residents over the age of 24. Margins of error were excluded so figures should be taken as rough approximations.

** Rhode Island has no counties that are classified as “rural” or “mixed-rural” according to the measures of Andrew Isserman.