Table 8-32
Bachelor's degree holders potentially in the workforce, by state: 2000, 2005, and 2009
 
  Bachelor's degree holders 25–64 years old   Employed workforce   Bachelor's degree holders/workforce (%)
State 2000 2005 2009   2000 2005 2009   2000 2005 2009
 
United States 39,078,598 44,972,214 48,338,792   136,955,714 141,077,688 139,594,700   28.5 31.9 34.6
Alabama 479,734 549,086 583,697   2,067,147 2,051,893 1,959,849   23.2 26.8 29.8
Alaska 87,739 96,854 102,828   299,324 320,590 330,597   29.3 30.2 31.1
Arizona 638,515 781,932 886,445   2,404,916 2,724,859 2,851,063   26.6 28.7 31.1
Arkansas 247,079 287,058 300,180   1,207,352 1,270,930 1,256,136   20.5 22.6 23.9
California 4,960,210 5,732,017 6,060,404   16,024,341 16,592,204 16,141,519   31.0 34.5 37.5
Colorado 819,906 936,007 1,030,750   2,300,192 2,455,773 2,501,834   35.6 38.1 41.2
Connecticut 633,867 707,700 720,251   1,697,670 1,718,608 1,730,053   37.3 41.2 41.6
Delaware 111,260 131,287 142,848   402,777 417,196 400,004   27.6 31.5 35.7
District of Columbia 133,155 150,461 175,217   291,916 298,611 300,011   45.6 50.4 58.4
Florida 1,968,126 2,398,022 2,556,593   7,569,406 8,305,281 8,209,092   26.0 28.9 31.1
Georgia 1,148,814 1,394,550 1,522,467   4,095,362 4,375,178 4,302,039   28.1 31.9 35.4
Hawaii 184,130 200,132 219,868   584,858 609,835 588,662   31.5 32.8 37.4
Idaho 149,622 178,690 194,255   632,451 695,428 693,045   23.7 25.7 28.0
Illinois 1,876,455 2,113,824 2,274,031   6,176,837 6,033,421 5,927,804   30.4 35.0 38.4
Indiana 672,835 745,940 821,279   3,052,719 3,032,108 2,851,776   22.0 24.6 28.8
Iowa 351,922 404,729 430,363   1,557,081 1,557,545 1,571,691   22.6 26.0 27.4
Kansas 385,924 425,214 458,499   1,351,988 1,390,292 1,401,609   28.5 30.6 32.7
Kentucky 402,094 467,998 528,477   1,866,348 1,875,512 1,857,576   21.5 25.0 28.4
Louisiana 453,353 496,071 531,693   1,930,662 1,935,850 1,923,739   23.5 25.6 27.6
Maine 170,334 193,647 205,731   650,385 658,507 641,189   26.2 29.4 32.1
Maryland 979,588 1,095,665 1,172,521   2,711,382 2,825,040 2,786,271   36.1 38.8 42.1
Massachusetts 1,266,113 1,387,065 1,502,257   3,273,281 3,219,717 3,190,462   38.7 43.1 47.1
Michigan 1,242,388 1,407,669 1,403,052   4,953,421 4,717,188 4,210,871   25.1 29.8 33.3
Minnesota 783,613 906,335 959,272   2,720,492 2,756,709 2,712,250   28.8 32.9 35.4
Mississippi 256,581 293,533 310,187   1,239,859 1,219,135 1,170,719   20.7 24.1 26.5
Missouri 695,491 792,737 860,322   2,875,336 2,849,708 2,768,144   24.2 27.8 31.1
Montana 124,462 139,593 148,144   446,552 463,251 465,220   27.9 30.1 31.8
Nebraska 230,857 267,867 277,140   923,198 935,447 934,161   25.0 28.6 29.7
Nevada 206,361 272,492 315,597   1,015,221 1,173,425 1,184,431   20.3 23.2 26.6
New Hampshire 207,431 243,698 246,364   675,541 696,765 698,317   30.7 35.0 35.3
New Jersey 1,510,429 1,734,942 1,785,522   4,130,310 4,207,738 4,116,398   36.6 41.2 43.4
New Mexico 226,334 252,804 263,798   810,024 866,349 876,218   27.9 29.2 30.1
New York 3,031,927 3,460,430 3,718,473   8,751,441 8,947,069 8,864,298   34.6 38.7 41.9
North Carolina 1,044,025 1,229,917 1,409,863   3,969,235 4,123,857 4,064,521   26.3 29.8 34.7
North Dakota 80,545 95,520 93,818   335,780 343,625 353,008   24.0 27.8 26.6
Ohio 1,375,311 1,521,816 1,612,549   5,573,154 5,537,419 5,334,774   24.7 27.5 30.2
Oklahoma 383,381 431,778 455,513   1,609,522 1,628,655 1,636,917   23.8 26.5 27.8
Oregon 488,862 564,786 636,155   1,716,954 1,740,990 1,759,757   28.5 32.4 36.2
Pennsylvania 1,618,658 1,842,351 1,954,078   5,830,902 5,958,238 5,869,594   27.8 30.9 33.3
Rhode Island 156,862 181,553 187,708   520,758 532,961 504,828   30.1 34.1 37.2
South Carolina 454,656 534,821 613,174   1,917,365 1,922,367 1,928,110   23.7 27.8 31.8
South Dakota 89,855 104,555 110,431   397,678 413,819 421,961   22.6 25.3 26.2
Tennessee 649,844 750,100 843,026   2,756,498 2,778,489 2,734,302   23.6 27.0 30.8
Texas 2,646,909 3,062,665 3,405,108   9,896,002 10,551,547 11,006,179   26.7 29.0 30.9
Utah 276,360 339,337 387,625   1,097,915 1,230,451 1,285,134   25.2 27.6 30.2
Vermont 103,476 118,184 116,812   326,742 336,583 335,328   31.7 35.1 34.8
Virginia 1,232,454 1,438,181 1,537,471   3,502,524 3,783,813 3,895,448   35.2 38.0 39.5
Washington 932,352 1,069,031 1,172,377   2,898,677 3,075,972 3,205,644   32.2 34.8 36.6
West Virginia 157,883 181,476 188,924   764,649 763,696 735,130   20.6 23.8 25.7
Wisconsin 690,065 791,966 834,930   2,894,884 2,890,117 2,829,348   23.8 27.4 29.5
Wyoming 60,451 68,128 70,705   256,685 267,927 277,669   23.6 25.4 25.5
                       
Puerto Rico 378,586 454,714 495,726   1,162,153 1,250,335 1,126,992   32.6 36.4 44.0
 

NOTES: Bachelor's degree holders include those who completed a bachelor's or higher degree. Workforce represents employed component of civilian labor force and reported as annual data not seasonally adjusted.

SOURCES: Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census and American Community Survey (various years); Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Science and Engineering Indicators 2012
Source Data