Just over one in four adults, age 25 and older, who live in Marion County has a bachelor’s or higher college degree. The 2000 census says 25.4 percent of Indianapolis adults have a college degree. The 2006 American Community Survey, however, shows the value has increased to 26.4 percent.² The difference between the two numbers could signal progress, or it could simply be random chance between the two samples.

That level of college attainment ranks Marion County fifth among Indiana’s counties. Only Hamilton (48.9 percent), Monroe (39.6 percent), Tippecanoe (33.2 percent) and Boone (27.6 percent) have higher levels. Monroe and Tippecanoe are the sites of Indiana’s two largest university campuses and have large numbers of college instructors and researchers. Hamilton and Boone are suburbs of Indianapolis.

Indiana ranks poorly among the states in college attainment. According to the last census, Indiana was 44th out of 50 states. But if Marion County were a state, it would rank 19th, far better than Indiana. The state may lack college graduates and it may have a brain drain, but Indianapolis does not.

Unfortunately, Indianapolis doesn’t rank as well in terms of high school graduation. With 81.6 percent of its adults with a high school diploma, Indianapolis ranks 36th among the state’s 92 counties on that measure.³ This is below the statewide graduation rate of 82.1 percent.

The next few drill-down screens explain how the good news that overall attainment rates have been rising is countered by the recent trend among young adults.

2 2006 American Community Survey.

3 U.S. Census Bureau, 2000; cited on STATS Indiana.