An international study highlights large state-to-state differences in college-completion rates across the United States.
The annual report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, released last week, finds 48 percent of young U.S. adults had completed a higher education degree in 2017. In the District of Columbia, 73 percent of young adults held a higher degree—a larger share than in South Korea, which led OECD countries with a 70 percent college-attainment rate. In Nevada, only 30 percent of young adults had a higher degree—on par with Chile or Hungary.
The 43-percentage-point gap between states in this country is the largest of any OECD country except Russia. The study compared adults ages 25 to 34 in 48 member and partner countries.