The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is an interstate, intercounty and intercity agency that provides comprehensive and coordinated planning for the orderly growth of the Delaware Valley region. As the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the Commission provides technical assistance and services to its member state, county and local governments, the private sector and the public. Delaware Valley Data is our periodic series of free data bulletins and complementary analytical reports. This data bulletin contains information from Summary File 3 of Census 2000, issued by the United States Census Bureau in 2002. All information in this bulletin is compiled from the "long form" questionnaire filled out by a randomly selected sample of households responding to the 2000 Census of Population and Housing.
This bulletin includes municipal-level data on educational attainment for DVRPC's extended 28-County data services area. The Commission's extended data services area includes the Commission's nine member counties as well as 19 surrounding counties in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania (see map on page 2). Table 1 summarizes the information included in this bulletin for the nine-county DVRPC region and calculates the percent of people over 25 years of age in each jurisdiction that have attained each level of education, while Table 2 provides county, regional and sub-regional totals. Appendix A provides information (by sex) on the highest educational level attained by the residents of each minor civil division (MCD) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (where MCD's serve as general-purpose local governments) and of incorporated places in Delaware and Maryland, located within counties included in the 28-county extended data services area.
Variables included in the report
The following variables were selected for summary in this report (see the Census definitions on page 8):
- Total persons age 25 years and older as of April 1, 2000
- Persons age 25 years and older who are High School graduates (no college degree)
- Persons age 25 and older with an Associate degree
- Persons age 25 and older with a Bachelor's degree
- Persons age 25 and older with an advanced degree
- Total males age 25 years and older
- Males age 25 years and older who are High School graduates (no college degree)
- Males age 25 years and older with an Associate degree
- Males age 25 years and older with a Bachelor's degree
- Males age 25 years and older with an advanced degree
- Total females age 25 years and older
- Females age 25 years and older who are High School graduates (no college degree)
- Females age 25 years and older with an Associate degree
- Females age 25 years and older with a Bachelor's degree
- Females age 25 years and older with an advanced degree
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| Table 1. Highest Education Level Attained, 2000: Nine-County Delaware Valley Region |
| Jurisdiction |
Total people age 25 years and older |
People age 25 years and older who did not graduate from high school
|
Percent with no high school diploma |
People age 25 years and older who are high school graduates |
Percent graduated high school
|
People age 25 years and older with Associate degrees |
Percent with Associate degrees |
People age 25 years and older with Bachelor degrees |
Percent with Bachelor degrees |
People age 25 years and older with advanced degrees
|
Percent with advanced degrees |
| Burlington |
285,553 |
36,659 |
12.8% |
148,184 |
51.9% |
19,642 |
6.9% |
54,721 |
19.2% |
26,347 |
9.2% |
| Camden |
331,765 |
65,476 |
19.7% |
168,255 |
50.7% |
18,351 |
5.5% |
51,782 |
15.6% |
27,901 |
8.4% |
| Gloucester |
164,801 |
25,806 |
15.7% |
91,816 |
55.7% |
11,001 |
6.7% |
25,695 |
15.6% |
10,483 |
6.4% |
| Mercer |
231,139 |
42,005 |
18.2% |
98,235 |
42.5% |
12,393 |
5.4% |
42,680 |
18.5% |
35,826 |
15.5% |
| 4 NJ Counties |
1,013,258 |
169,946 |
16.8% |
506,490 |
50.0% |
61,387 |
6.1% |
174,878 |
17.3% |
100,557 |
9.9% |
| Bucks |
402,575 |
45,929 |
11.4% |
203,973 |
50.7% |
27,085 |
6.7% |
79,834 |
19.8% |
45,754 |
11.4% |
| Chester |
285,816 |
30,576 |
10.7% |
118,459 |
41.4% |
15,429 |
5.4% |
76,003 |
26.6% |
45,349 |
15.9% |
| Delaware |
365,174 |
49,226 |
13.5% |
183,883 |
50.4% |
22,395 |
6.1% |
66,484 |
18.2% |
43,186 |
11.8% |
| Montgomery |
515,871 |
59,307 |
11.5% |
226,181 |
43.8% |
30,596 |
5.9% |
118,910 |
23.1% |
80,877 |
15.7% |
| Philadelphia |
966,197 |
278,090 |
28.8% |
472,472 |
48.9% |
42,994 |
4.4% |
99,936 |
10.3% |
72,705 |
7.5% |
| 5 PA Counties |
2,535,633 |
463,128 |
18.3% |
1,204,968 |
47.5% |
138,499 |
5.5% |
441,167 |
17.4% |
287,871 |
11.4% |
| 9-County DVRPC Region
|
3,548,891
|
636,074
|
17.9%
|
1,711,458 |
48.2%
|
199,886
|
5.6%
|
616,045
|
17.3%
|
399,428 |
10.9% |
| Source: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, June 2003. Derived from U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing, Summary File 3. |
|
Notes: High school graduates include people who have received a traditional high school diploma or the equivalent, including those who have passed a Test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.). "Advanced degrees" include Master's degrees, professional school degrees, and Doctorate degrees, but do not include vocational or technical training. |
| Table 2. Highest Educational Level Attained, 2000: County, Regional and Sub-Regional Totals |
| Jurisdiction |
Total people age 25 years and older
|
People age 25 years and older who are high school graduates (no college degree)
|
Percent graduated high school |
People age 25 years and older with Associate degrees |
Percent with Associate degrees |
People age 25 years and older with Bachelor degrees |
Percent with Bachelor degrees |
People age 25 years and older with advanced degrees |
Percent with advanced degrees |
| 2 Delaware Counties |
404,059 |
202,831 |
50.2% |
27,128 |
6.7% |
69,177 |
17.1% |
41,361 |
10.2% |
| Kent |
79,249 |
42,997 |
54.3% |
5,171 |
6.5% |
9,201 |
11.6% |
5,568 |
7.0% |
| New Castle |
324,810 |
159,834 |
49.2% |
21,957 |
6.8% |
59,976 |
18.5% |
35,793 |
11.0% |
| 2 Maryland Counties |
198,865 |
107,431 |
54.0% |
13,716 |
6.9% |
31,552 |
15.9% |
16,672 |
8.4% |
| Cecil |
55,809 |
32,915 |
59.0% |
3,219 |
5.8% |
5,988 |
10.7% |
3,180 |
5.7% |
| Harford |
143,056 |
74,516 |
52.1% |
10,497 |
7.3% |
25,564 |
17.9% |
13,492 |
9.4% |
| 14 New Jersey Counties |
3,024,682 |
1,487,534 |
49.2% |
176,597 |
5.8% |
550,245 |
18.2% |
315,741 |
10.4% |
| Atlantic |
168,546 |
91,037 |
54.0% |
9,191 |
5.5% |
21,655 |
12.8% |
9,854 |
5.8% |
| Burlington |
285,553 |
148,184 |
51.9% |
19,642 |
6.9% |
54,721 |
19.2% |
26,347 |
9.2% |
| Camden |
331,765 |
168,255 |
50.7% |
18,351 |
5.5% |
51,782 |
15.6% |
27,901 |
8.4% |
| Cape May |
72,878 |
39,764 |
54.6% |
3,856 |
5.3% |
11,288 |
15.5% |
4,760 |
6.5% |
| Cumberland |
96,899 |
50,401 |
52.0% |
4,600 |
4.7% |
7,820 |
8.1% |
3,565 |
3.7% |
| Gloucester |
164,801 |
91,816 |
55.7% |
11,001 |
6.7% |
25,695 |
15.6% |
10,483 |
6.4% |
| Hunterdon |
83,548 |
28,825 |
34.5% |
5,616 |
6.7% |
21,269 |
25.5% |
13,629 |
16.3% |
| Mercer |
231,139 |
98,235 |
42.5% |
12,393 |
5.4% |
42,680 |
18.5% |
35,826 |
15.5% |
| Middlesex |
501,552 |
230,522 |
46.0% |
27,033 |
5.4% |
102,750 |
20.5% |
62,783 |
12.5% |
| Monmouth |
413,058 |
193,929 |
46.9% |
26,393 |
6.4% |
90,050 |
21.8% |
52,792 |
12.8% |
| Ocean |
358,354 |
208,047 |
58.1% |
19,573 |
5.5% |
48,044 |
13.4% |
21,791 |
6.1% |
| Salem |
42,789 |
24,589 |
57.5% |
2,894 |
6.8% |
4,808 |
11.2% |
1,704 |
4.0% |
| Somerset |
204,343 |
76,366 |
37.4% |
11,621 |
5.7% |
55,991 |
27.4% |
39,053 |
19.1% |
| Warren
|
69,457 |
37,564 |
54.1%
|
4,433 |
6.4%
|
11,692 |
16.8% |
5,253
|
7.6%
|
| 10 Pennsylvania Counties |
3,738,723 |
1,846,971 |
49.4% |
255,528 |
6.8% |
563,182 |
15.1% |
475,757 |
12.7% |
| Berks |
248,864 |
134,027 |
53.9% |
14,175 |
5.7% |
29,954 |
12.0% |
16,057 |
6.5% |
| Bucks |
402,575 |
203,973 |
50.7% |
27,085 |
6.7% |
79,834 |
19.8% |
45,754 |
11.4% |
| Chester |
285,816 |
118,459 |
41.4% |
15,429 |
5.4% |
76,003 |
26.6% |
45,349 |
15.9% |
| Delaware |
365,174 |
183,883 |
50.4% |
22,395 |
6.1% |
66,484 |
18.2% |
43,186 |
11.8% |
| Lancaster |
302,503 |
158,348 |
52.3% |
13,634 |
4.5% |
41,643 |
13.8% |
20,396 |
6.7% |
| Lehigh |
212,665 |
107,985 |
50.8% |
14,964 |
7.0% |
31,063 |
14.6% |
18,549 |
8.7% |
| Montgomery |
515,871 |
226,181 |
43.8% |
30,596 |
5.9% |
118,910 |
23.1% |
80,877 |
15.7% |
| Northampton |
180,018 |
95,036 |
52.8% |
12,154 |
6.8% |
24,398 |
13.6% |
13,700 |
7.6% |
| Philadelphia |
966,197 |
472,472 |
48.9% |
42,994 |
4.4% |
99,936 |
10.3% |
72,705 |
7.5% |
| York |
259,040 |
146,607 |
56.6% |
14,835 |
5.7% |
32,395 |
12.5%
|
15,309 |
5.9% |
| Philadelphia/ Wilmington/ Atlantic City CMSA |
4,079,483 |
2,011,763 |
49.3% |
233,210 |
5.7% |
684,900 |
16.8% |
411,458 |
10.1% |
| Philadelphia PMSA |
3,360,541 |
1,637,812 |
48.7% |
190,387 |
5.7% |
578,173 |
17.2% |
354,306 |
10.5% |
| Atlantic City -Cape May PMSA |
241,424 |
130,801 |
54.2% |
13,047 |
5.4% |
32,943 |
13.6% |
14,614 |
6.1% |
| Vineland-Millville- Bridgeton PMSA |
96,899 |
50,401 |
52.0% |
4,600 |
4.7% |
7,820 |
8.1% |
3,565 |
3.7% |
| Wilmington-Newark PMSA
|
380,619
|
192,749
|
50.6%
|
25,176
|
6.6%
|
65,964
|
17.3%
|
38,973
|
10.2% |
| Source: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, May 2004. Derived from U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing, SF3. |
| Notes: High school graduates include people who have received a traditional high school diploma or the equivalent, including those who have passed a Test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.). "Advanced degrees" include Master's degrees, professional school degrees, and Doctorate degrees, but do not include vocational or technical training. |
Regional Summary
As illustrated in Table 1 and Figure 1, 48% of the adults aged 25 and older in the Delaware Valley region had received a high school diploma (or the equivalent) in 2000, 23% had earned either an Associate or a Bachelor's degree, and 11% had earned an advanced degree. The remaining 18% did not graduate high school. Of the region's nine counties, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks counties in Pennsylvania and Mercer County in New Jersey have the highest percentages of adults with at least an Associate degree. Chester County, which is also home to the lowest percentage of adults with no high school diploma, is home to the highest percentage of advanced graduate degree holders, followed by Montgomery and Mercer Counties. Not surprisingly, these three counties, where over 15% of adults age 25 years and older have earned a graduate or professional degree, also boast the highest median incomes and housing values in the region.
In contrast, Philadelphia County has the lowest percentage of adults with a college degree, followed by Gloucester and Camden counties in New Jersey. In Philadelphia, 29% of the adult population had not completed high school as of April 1, 2000, compared to 18% of the overall regional population. Over 43% of the region's adults age 25 years and older who have not received a high school diploma or its equivalency live in the City. Unlike Philadelphia, Gloucester County has a relatively low percentage of adults who did not complete high school. However, the County also has the highest percentage of adults who graduated from high school but have not attained a college degree.
The lack of a high school diploma or its equivalent correlates in part to family circumstances, including household income and household type. It is not surprising, for example, that the highest percent of adults who did not graduate from high school are living in the City of Philadelphia, given the City's concentration of poverty, immigrants, and single-parent households. Other counties with relatively high percentages of adults without a high school diploma include Camden and Mercer counties, primarily because higher than average percentages of adults with no high school diploma live in the cities of Camden and Trenton.
The highest education level attained is also related to the average age of the population. As illustrated in Table 3, higher percentages of older adults (especially women) never completed high school, and many more graduated from high school but did not attain a college degree but were quite successful in the "working world". Having attained an advanced degree is more valued in today's labor market than in previous generations, and a higher percentage of high school graduates now continue on to attain Associate, Bachelors, graduate, or professional degrees.
In the Philadelphia region, for example, 36% of adults age 65 years and older did not graduate from high school (including 13% who never attended high school at all), compared to only 12% of adults age 35 to 44 years and 15% of adults age 45 to 64 years. Seventy-one percent of adults age 65 and older attained no higher than a high school diploma, versus only 47% of adults age 45 to 64 years, 44% of those age 35 to 44 years, and 40% of adults age 25 to 34. Conversely, only 6% of adults age 65 and older (including only 4% of older women and 9% of older men) had earned a graduate or professional degree as of 2000, compared to 13% of adults age 45 to 64 years. It is not surprising, therefore, that counties with high concentrations of elderly residents also often have relatively low educational attainment levels. Likewise, the region's cities, boroughs, and first generation suburbs, where the average age of the population is usually older than that of growing suburbs, often are home to a higher than average percentage of adults who have attained no more than a high school degree.
| Table 3: Highest Educational Level Attained, by Age and Sex, Philadelphia CMSA |
Age/Sex
|
Less than 12th Grade |
High School Diploma |
Some College, No Degree |
Associate or Bachelors Degree |
Graduate or Professional Degree |
Aged 18 to 24 years:
Men
Women
|
22%
26%
19% |
29%
31%
27% |
34%
30%
37% |
14%
12%
16% |
1%
1%
1% |
Age 25 to 34 years:
Men
Women
|
12%
14%
12% |
28%
30%
26% |
20%
19%
20% |
31%
28%
32% |
9%
9%
10% |
Age 35 to 44 years:
Men:
Women:
|
12%
12%
12% |
32%
33%
31% |
20%
19%
20% |
26%
24%
28% |
10%
12%
9% |
Age 45 to 64 years:
Men
Women
|
15%
16%
15% |
32%
29%
35% |
18%
17%
18% |
22%
23%
21% |
13%
15%
11% |
Age 65 and older:
Men
Women
|
36%
35%
37%
|
35%
29%
39% |
12%
13%
11%
|
11%
14%
9%
|
6%
9%
4%
|
| Source: United States Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing |
How Do We Compare to Other Major Metros?
Table 4 summarizes educational attainment for adults age 18 or older in the nation's ten largest consolidated metropolitan statistical areas, including the Philadelphia CMSA. The Philadelphia CMSA ranks well in terms of high school graduation rate, with only the Boston, Washington, DC, and San Francisco areas having a lower percentage of adults who never completed high school.
| Table 4: Highest Educational Level Attained, 2000 |
| Metropolitan Area |
Did not graduate High School |
High School Diploma or equivalent |
Associate Degree |
Bachelors Degree |
Graduate or Professional Degree |
| New York CMSA |
21% |
45% |
5% |
17% |
11% |
| Los Angeles CMSA |
28% |
44% |
6% |
15% |
7% |
| Chicago CMSA |
20% |
48% |
5% |
17% |
9% |
| Wash/Baltimore CMSA |
16% |
45% |
5% |
20% |
14% |
| San Francisco CMSA |
17% |
42% |
7% |
22% |
12% |
| Philadelphia CMSA |
19% |
51% |
5% |
16% |
9% |
| Boston CMSA |
15% |
46% |
7% |
20% |
12% |
| Detroit CMSA |
18% |
54% |
6% |
14% |
8% |
| Dallas CMSA |
22% |
47% |
5% |
18% |
8% |
| Houston CMSA
|
26%
|
46%
|
5% |
16%
|
7%
|
| Source: United States Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing. Data is for the Consolidated Metropolitan Statistic Area (CMSA) associated with each major city. |
The Delaware Valley region compares less favorably to other large metros in terms of the percentage of the adult population who go on to attain college or advanced degrees. The region ranks eighth in terms of the percent of Bachelors degree holders (ahead of only Los Angeles and Detroit and about even with Houston), but ranks fifth in the percent of adults with advanced or professional degrees, ahead of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, and Los Angeles.
Some of these differences in educational attainment of the resident population are undoubtedly linked to the Philadelphia region's historical development as a manufacturing center. The differences may also be explained (at least in part) by the differences in educational attainment between older and younger adults. In the Philadelphia CMSA, for example, over 18% of adults age 18 years and older are actually over the age of 64, the highest percent of the ten largest metropolitan areas. In the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area, on the other hand (where 39% of adults over age 18 have attained at least an Associates degree and 14% have attained a graduate or professional degree), only 13% of adults age 18 years and older are also over the age of 64. It should also be noted that the educational attainment varies significantly within the metropolitan area; Chester, Montgomery and Mercer counties, for example, each has a higher percentage of adults with advanced degrees than does any of the ten largest metropolitan areas overall, while a majority of the area's adults who never completed high school are concentrated in Philadelphia and the region's other oldest cities.
DEFINITIONS OF CENSUS VARIABLES:
The Census Bureau defines the population variables discussed in this bulletin as follows:
Educational attainment: Data on educational attainment was derived from answers to long-form questionnaire Item 9, which was asked of a sample of the households responding to the 2000 Census. Data on attainment is tabulated for the population age 25 years and over as of April 1, 2000. People are classified according to the highest degree or level of school completed. The order in which degrees were listed on the questionnaire suggested that doctorate degrees were "higher" than professional school degrees, which were "higher" than master's degrees. The question included instructions for people currently enrolled in school to report the level of the previous grade attended or the highest degree received. Respondents who did not report educational attainment or enrollment level were assigned the attainment of a person of the same age, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, occupation and sex, where possible, who resided in the same or a nearby area. Respondents who filled more than one box were edited to the highest level or degree reported.
High school graduates: "High school graduates" include people who have received a traditional high school diploma or the equivalent (for example, those who have passed a G.E.D., or Test of General Educational Development). This category includes adults who have some college experience but have not yet received a higher degree.
Associate degree: The category "Associate degree" includes people whose highest degree is an associate degree, which generally requires 2 years of college level work and is either in an occupational program that prepares them for a specific occupation, or an academic program primarily in the arts and sciences. The course work may or may not be transferable to a bachelor's degree.
Advanced degrees: Advanced degrees include Master's degrees, professional school degrees, and Doctorate degrees. Master's degrees include the traditional MA and MS degrees as well as field-specific degrees, such as MSW, MEd, MBA, MLS, MURP, and Meng. Some examples of professional degrees include medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, and theology. Vocational and technical training such as barber school training; business, trade, technical, and vocational schools; or other training for a specific trade, are specifically excluded.
NOTES:
- New Morgan Borough was formed from portions of Robeson and Caernavon townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
- Birmingham Township, Delaware County, officially changed its name to Chadds Ford Township in 1997. .
- A dashed line (-) indicates that the information is not available.
- This data bulletin was created from the latest electronic files available from the Census Bureau and may include data which has been updated from previously published data bulletins.
AREA DEFINITIONS:
- The "9-county DVRPC region" consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey.
- DVRPC's "28-county extended data service region" consists of the 9-county DVRPC region and the surrounding 19 counties, which includes portions of Delaware and Maryland.
- The "Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City CMSA" consists of the Philadelphia PMSA region, the Atlantic City -Cape May PMSA region, the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton PMSA region and the Wilmington- Newark PMSA region.
- The "Philadelphia PMSA" consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties (Pennsylvania) and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties (New Jersey). The "Atlantic City- Cape May PMSA" consists of Atlantic and Cape May counties (New Jersey). The "Vineland- Millville-Bridgeton PMSA" consists of Cumberland county (New Jersey). The "Wilmington-Newark PMSA" consists of New Castle County (Delaware) and Cecil County (Maryland).
- The "Trenton PMSA", which is no longer a part of the Philadelphia CMSA, consists of Mercer County (New Jersey).
- The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) changed their definitions of some CMSA's and PMSA's in 1992. Any historical comparison of this data with earlier data should be done with caution.
Data bulletin #76 is one of a series of bulletins designed to disseminate information to member state, county and local governments and other interested parties. For more information on Data Bulletins and Analytical Data Reports, please visit the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's website (www.dvrpc.org) or contact DVRPC at the telephone number below.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission was established in 1965 by interstate compact between Pennsylvania and New Jersey to plan for the orderly growth and development of the region, and to provide a variety of planning and technical assistance services responding to regional issues. DVRPC maintains a significant database for twenty-eight counties encompassing New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Included in the database are data profiles at the regional, county and municipal level and for other census geography as requested. DVRPC produces a diverse range of services, including demographic and economic data and projections; mapping and aerial photography; computer assisted mapping; geographic information systems; impact studies; and policy and program development.
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