Educational Attainment of Northern Virginia Overview
Northern Virginia localities are home to some of the most highly educated residents in the nation. This high education level of the region's citizens creates a strong, flourishing business community. The percentage of Northern Virginia's population age 25 or more holding a bachelor's or higher degree is 60.4%, which is nearly double the United States, and holding a graduate or professional degree is 29.4%, which is more than double the United States.
About the Data and Proper Data Interpretation
Educational attainment data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census and the American Community Survey (ACS). It is important to note that any data sourced from the ACS is based on a small sample of the population of a place. Areas with smaller populations, such as the cities of Northern Virginia, may have a larger margin of error in the data due to the survey sample size being small. This is less of an issue the larger the population. The margin of error is shown in the popup that is displayed when hovering over a bar in the bar charts. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and is not considered statistically significant. In addition to the margin of error, the accuracy of the American Community Survey data for an area can be gaged by evaluating the trend. If the data has a clear trend then the data from one period to the next can be deemed reliable.
Educational Attainment - Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Current
Five-Year Estimates
All jurisdictions in the United States are included in the five-year American Community Survey estimates.
The percentage of residents age 25 or more with bachelor's or higher degrees, for all jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, are displayed in the following graph. Out of all 3,144 jurisdictions in the USA, five of the ten highest ranked for the percentage of residents age 25 or more with bachelor's or higher degrees are located in Northern Virginia. Those include the City of Falls Church (1st), Arlington County (2nd), the City of Alexandria (4th), Fairfax County (5th), and Loudoun County (7th). Overall, Northern Virginia's share is 61.1% for residents age 25 or more with bachelor's or higher degrees, which is well higher than Virginia and nearly twice that of the USA.
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Current
One-Year Estimates
Those jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more are included in the one-year American Community Survey estimates, of which there are five Northern Virginia jurisdictions included.
The share of residents age 25 or more with bachelor's or higher degrees for the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia are shown in this graph. The Northern Virginia regional data, for the one-year estimates, is representative of the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia only. Out of the 843 jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more in the USA, four of the top seven for the percentage of residents age 25 or more with bachelor's or higher degrees are located in Northern Virginia. Those include Arlington County (1st), the City of Alexandria (2nd), Loudoun (5th), and Fairfax (7th).
Graduate or Professional Degrees - Current
Five-Year Estimates
All jurisdictions in the United States are included in the five-year American Community Survey estimates. The percentage of residents age 25 or more with graduate or professional degrees, for all jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, are displayed in the following graph. Out of all 3,144 jurisdictions in the USA, six of the twenty highest ranked in the percentage of residents age 25 or more with graduate or higher degrees are located in Northern Virginia. Those include the City of Falls Church (1st), Arlington County (3rd), the City of Alexandria (5th), Fairfax County (10th), City of Fairfax (17th), and Loudoun County (19th). Overall, Northern Virginia's share is 29.5% for residents age 25 or more with graduate or professional degrees, which is well higher than Virginia and more than twice that of the USA.
Graduate or Professional Degrees - Current
One-Year Estimates
Those jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more are included in the one-year American Community Survey estimates.
The percentage of residents age 25 or more with graduate or professional degrees for the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia are shown in this graph. The Northern Virginia regional data, for the one-year estimates, is representative of the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia only. Out of the 843 jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more in the USA, four of the 25 highest ranked for the percentage of residents age 25 or more with graduate or professional degrees are located in Northern Virginia. Those include Arlington (1st), the City of Alexandria (5th), Fairfax (8th), and Loudoun (21st).
Educational Attainment - Historic Compared to Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Historic Compared to Current
Five-Year Estimates
Northern Virginia is one of the most educated places in the United States. The region's population has experienced an upward trend since 2000 to become even more and more highly educated than it already was. Northern Virginia's age 25 and over population holding bachelor's or higher degrees in 2000 was 50.7% and in the 2017-2021 period was 60.4%, compared to the United States which was 24.4% and 33.7% respectively. This strong growth in highly educated persons creates a strong, growing, and flourishing business community.
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Historic Compared to Current
One-Year Estimates
The trend in persons age 25 and over holding a bachelor's or higher degree, for the regions large jurisdictions (population of 65,000 or more), are shown in the following graph.
Key Facts:
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Northern Virginia, as defined for this analysis using the region's five largest jurisdictions, trended upward, increasing from an estimated 54.7% in 2010 to 62.2% in 2023. Note, from 2022 to 2023 Northern Virginia appears to have declined, but this may be a statistical anomaly due to the small sample size of the American Community Survey and the fact that the 2023 figure is not statistically significant difference from 2022 based on the margin of error. Also, it may be a statistical anomaly since it was declines were not a pattern seen across all jurisdictions, unlike graduate degrees where it was a pattern across all jurisdictions. When the 2024 data is released, it can be confirm whether there is in fact a downward trend.
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All of the region's five largest jurisdictions have trended upward since 2010 in their percentage with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Graduate or Professional Degree - Historic Compared to Current
Five-Year Estimates
Northern Virginia's age 25 and over population holding professional and graduate degrees in 2000 was 22.1% and in the 2017-2021 period was 29.4%, compared to the United States which was 8.9% and 13.1% respectively. Northern Virginia's strong growth in highly educated persons creates a strong, growing, and flourishing business community.
Graduate or Professional Degree - Historic Compared to Current
One-Year Estimates
The trend in persons age 25 and over holding a graduate or professional degree, for the regions large jurisdictions (population of 65,000 or more), are shown in the following graph.
Key Facts:
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Northern Virginia, as defined for this analysis using the region's five largest jurisdictions, trended upward in the share of the population holding graduate or professional degrees, increasing from an estimated 25.4% in 2010 to a peak of 30.8% in 2022, and then there was a decline to 30.1% in 2023. The decline from 2022 to 2023 was a statistically significant difference when accounting for the survey's margin of error. This may be due to the wave of retirement occurring in the region and because the remote-work trend has led moderate and high-income, highly educated office workers to migrate out of the region to places that have a more affordable cost of living.
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All of the region's five largest jurisdictions trended upward from 2010 to 2022 in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree. However, from 2022 to 2023 all jurisdictions did decline in the share of the population with graduate or professional degrees.