Educational Attainment

An educated population is one of the most important components of a vital, healthy region. Almost 85 percent of adults in the Hampton Roads region have at least a high school degree and almost 24 percent have at least a Bachelor's degree.

Why is This Important?

Educational attainment measures the educational level of people living in a particular area. It is a long-term indicator of the investment that a region has made in developing and attracting human capital. This indicator provides a "big picture" assessment of the region's quality of life, workforce preparedness and economic potential.

How is Hampton Roads Doing?

High School Graduation or Equivalent or Higher, By Region, 2000. Read text for explanationEducational Attainment, by MSA, 2006. Read text for explanationAdvanced Degree Holders, by MSA, 2006. Read text for explanationAt the time of the 2000 Census, 84.6 percent of the Hampton Roads region's population 25 years and older had at least a high school diploma, which was the second highest rate in the state and 23.8 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher, which was the third highest in the state. The Northern region had the highest percentage of high school graduates at 89.0 percent and college graduates at 47.3 percent, while the state's averages were 81.5 percent and 29.5 percent respectively.

When comparing across metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (Hampton Roads MSA) has maintained a solid performance, ranking second among its peers in the percentage of residents earning high school diplomas (89 percent). It ranked third in the percentage of people age 25 and above holding at least a Bachelor's degree at 27.4 percent  in 2008 (up from 23.7 percent in 2000), behind Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA and Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA.

However, the Hampton Roads MSA lags well behind both the leading MSA for the state and the state average in advanced degrees. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA, with 21.9 percent of its residents holding either a Master's, Professional or Doctorate degree, more than doubles the 10.4 percent rate of the Hampton Roads MSA. Within Virginia, 13.8 percent of the population 25 and older have an advanced degree.

What Influences Educational Attainment?

A number of factors influence educational attainment, including availability of educational services, the quality of those services, responsiveness of educational institutions to the particular needs of a community or region, affordability, regional culture, economic opportunity, and migration into and out of the region.

High School Graduation or Equivalent or Higher, By Region, 2000. Read text for explanation. Educational Attainment, by MSA, 2006. Read text for explanation. Advanced Degree Holders, by MSA, 2006. Read text for explanation.

Data Definitions and Sources

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau

See the Data Sources and Updates Calendar for a detailed list of the data resources used for indicator measures on Hampton Roads Performs.

At a Glance: Educational Attainment

Performance: Improving

Highlight: The Hampton Roads region compares favorably to other regions and MSAs on the percentage of adults with at least a high school degree; however, the region lags behind the state average for attainment of advanced degrees.

adult in class
Regional Programs & Initiatives

The Two-Year College Grant Program was created by the General Assembly in 2007 to provide financial assistance to eligible students who transfer with an associate's degree to a Virginia four-year institution. Read a fact sheet about the program. (PDF)

Path to Industry Certification programs encourage students who are not planning to attend college immediately after graduating from high school to continue pursuing technical training for a selected industry certification. Thomas Nelson Community College offers certifications through their website and Tidewater Community College offers a list of certifications.

The National Urban League/Scholastic Book Initiative is in its sixth year and promotes early literacy and reading in Hampton Roads. The goal of this initiative is to provide books to young people, to encourage reading, and to build their own libraries at home. 

The Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education (VTC) is a consortium of 13 institutions of higher education, including four community colleges, four public colleges and universities, four private institutions and a National Defense University. In addition, VTC has two associate and affiliate members. The VTC helps develop and share ideas, information, programs and resources to enhance educational opportunities and to serve the region through higher education and related services.