
This chart was first published in one of CT Mirror's stories. To read the full story, click on the first link listed at the bottom of the page.
In 2012, the state ranked 4th in the country with 36.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Nine years later, in 2021, Connecticut's ranking dropped to 6th place despite an increase in the percentage of adults with a bachelor's degree to 40.6%.
When looking specifically at the share of adults over 25 with a bachelor's degree, Connecticut ranked 7th in 2012 with 20.3%. In 2021, the state's ranking dropped to 11th with an increased share of 22.3%, four percentage points away from the high of 26.7% belonging to Colorado.
Connecticut ranked 2nd in 2012 for the percentage of residents with a master's degree, with 11.7%, but in 2021, the state dropped to 3rd place, while still increasing its percentage to 13.3%, just behind Maryland, which had a share of 13.6% and Massachusetts at 14.2%.
Connecticut's ranking for those with a doctorate or professional degree remained unchanged at 3rd place, with a percentage of 4.5% in 2012 and 4.9% in 2021. Maryland (5.8%) and Massachusetts (6.1%) remained in the top two spots.
Read more: CT has changed in the last decade. Here are 10 charts that show how