What does this measure?

The number of residents with a particular level of education, expressed as a percentage of all residents 25 and older.

Why is this important?

An educated population makes a more attractive workforce and is better prepared to instruct the next generation of residents. High educational attainment represents a region's investment in human capital and preparation for long-term growth.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

The region has higher education levels than the state or the nation. Nearly 32% of adults have a four-year degree or higher, 5 points above national figures and 1 point above the state figure. Region wide, 10% of adults have not completed high school, lower than the 16% figure for the nation and the state. Albany County has the highest proportion of college graduates (36%) and the lowest proportion of people who have not completed high school (9%) in the Greater Capital Region. Figures are from the 2005-07 American Community Survey.

Notes about the data

The 2005-2007 figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined three years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.