What the Data Shows
Count of adults whose highest attainment is a master’s degree is compared across United States metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas for 2020–2024. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a master’s degree. New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ Metro Area ranks first at 1,905,883 people, ahead of Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA Metro Area by 1,050,209 people. Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA Metro Area records 503,323 people, making the first value 3.79 times the last.
Data table
Unit: people · Period: 2020–2024
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|
| 1 | New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ Metro Area | 1.91M | 2020–2024 |
| 2 | Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA Metro Area | 855.7K | 2020–2024 |
| 3 | Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metro Area | 828K | 2020–2024 |
| 4 | Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN Metro Area | 802.3K | 2020–2024 |
| 5 | Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metro Area | 585.7K | 2020–2024 |
| 6 | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX Metro Area | 580.2K | 2020–2024 |
| 7 | Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD Metro Area | 549.5K | 2020–2024 |
| 8 | San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA Metro Area | 520.5K | 2020–2024 |
| 9 | Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA Metro Area | 503.3K | 2020–2024 |
Sources
Data notes & caveats
The 5-year estimates pool survey responses collected from 2020 through 2024 and are not a single-year 2024 snapshot. The Census geography combines metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas; labels identify the area type. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a master's degree. The values are absolute counts rather than rates or shares. ACS estimates are subject to sampling error; margins of error are not included here.
Methodology
The ranking uses the 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimate for count of adults whose highest attainment is a master's degree across U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. Values are ordered from highest to lowest, with equal values retaining tied ranks. Geographies outside the metropolitan and micropolitan frame are excluded. Compact labels are rounded for readability without changing the source order.
Source consistency notes
All entries use the same Census source family, ACS 5-year product, 2020–2024 period and measurement unit (people), supporting a like-for-like ranking across the stated metropolitan and micropolitan areas.
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