The Triangle's college grad boom
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The Triangle has been one of the leading regions for adding residents with college degrees since the pandemic, a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau finds.
Why it matters: The Triangle has long prided itself on how much talent its universities produce, helping make the region one of the biggest areas for job growth over the past decade.
- Duke, N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill have all grown in recent years. UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina North expansion, for instance, is expected to help it continue to expand its student population.
- But increasingly, the Triangle is also attracting those with college degrees from elsewhere and convincing them to settle down.
Driving the news: The share of Americans 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher rose from about 34% to 38% between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 periods, Alex Fitzpatrick and Jacque Schrag report from new census data.
Zoom in: The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area, home to UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University, saw the biggest gain in education of all metro areas over that time period, according to the data.
- Durham's share of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher grew to 53%, up from 45%.
- Raleigh's grew to 51% from 47%, the 18th biggest jump.
Between the lines: These are the numbers that the state and its economic development officials are touting to future companies right now as they work to lure expansions.
The big picture: A metro's growth in college-educated residents has far-reaching societal effects, from rising incomes and pressure on the local housing market to political and cultural shifts.
📊 How it works: That's based on the Census Bureau's latest 5-year American Community Survey estimates.
- 🚚 A given metro's share can increase if more residents get their degrees, or if more people with degrees move into town.
What they're saying: "Over the last five years, we've noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education," said Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician.