The educational attainment of young adults in Louisville lays the groundwork for the academic outcomes of future generations. An educated workforce is also important to establishing 21st-century jobs to make Louisville competitive in the modern economy. College attainment among young adults is an important indicator of the effectiveness of Louisville’s educational system and its ability to attract educated workers from other cities.
Louisville currently ranks 11th among its peer cities with 47.9% of young adults having earned at least an associate degree.
Louisville is in the middle cluster of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
Less than half of the young adults in Louisville have an associate degree or higher, and there is a clear geographic divide on where degree holders live. In the map to the left, areas where more adults have associate degrees or higher are purple. Areas where fewer adults hold post-secondary degrees are white. There are much higher rates of degree holders east of I-65.
High attainment of post-secondary degrees is almost exclusively seen in eastern Louisville. The Highlands have the highest percentage of residents with an associate degree or higher at approximately 80%. This is in stark contrast to western Louisville where degree attainment in Portland and Russell measures below 8%.
Scroll over the map to see values for each neighborhood. Zoom in to see street names that form the boundaries of each neighborhood.
Since 2000, more young, adult Louisvillians have obtained their associate degree or higher. For several years, Louisville was at the peer mean. Currently, the city is 1.4% below the peer mean, but remains higher than the 2000 number.
Kansas City is currently the most improved city in our peer group, yet it still falls behind both Louisville and the peer mean. Louisville has slightly diverged from the peer mean since 2015, and currently stands at 46.4%. Memphis continues to be the least improved city in our peer group.
White young adults continue to obtain associate degrees or higher at a rate higher than Black young adults, although they also currently fall below their peer mean. Black young adults are increasing their degree attainment at a much higher rate than their white counterparts. In 2015, Blacks met their peer mean and are now one percentage point below it.
A greater number of young adult females hold at least an associate degree compared to young adult males. In 2015, men met their peer city mean, while women continued to fall below their peer city mean.
Earning a college degree opens many doors that lead to better career opportunities and higher earnings. Additionally, children are more likely to earn a secondary degree of their own when their parents have attended college. An educated workforce is important to establishing 21st-century jobs to make Louisville competitive in the modern economy.
Louisville currently ranks 11th among its peer cities with 45.5% of working age individuals having earned at least an associate degree.
Louisville is in the middle cluster of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
Although many working adults in Louisville have an associate degree or higher, there is a clear geographic divide on where those people live. In the map to the left, areas where more adults have post-secondary degrees are purple. Areas where fewer adults hold post-secondary degrees are white.
High attainment of a post-secondary degrees is almost exclusively seen in east of I-65, among communities such as Northeast Jefferson, J-Town, and the Highlands. In these areas, percentages are over 80%. In comparison, there is a lower percentage of working adults with associate degrees or higher in western Louisville, with several areas showing less than 15%.
Scroll over the map to see values for each census tract. Zoom in to see street names that form the boundaries of each tract.
With the exception of the year 2014, Louisville has fallen below the peer mean for the percentage of adults ages 25-64 with an associate degree or higher. The city has experienced a decrease in the number of these degrees since 2014.
In 2013, Louisville began to outpace the least improved city, Tulsa. Louisville is currently the most improved city in its peer group. However, the city still remains below the peer mean at 43.5%
Both white and Black Louisvillians are performing below their respective peer city means. Whites have consistently performed below their 25th percentiles. After decreasing from 2011, Blacks are rebounding and are almost near their 25th percentile.
Women of working age are outpacing men in the attainment of associate degrees or higher. Both men and women continue to perform below their respective peer city means.
The educational attainment of young adults in Louisville lays the groundwork for the academic outcomes of future generations. An educated workforce is also important to establishing 21st-century jobs to make Louisville competitive in the modern economy. College attainment among young adults is an important indicator of the effectiveness of Louisville’s educational system and its ability to attract educated workers from other cities.
Louisville currently ranks 10th among its peer cities in the percent of young adults with bachelor’s degrees, with 39.4% of young adults having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Louisville is in the middle cluster of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
While 32.7% of young adults hold bachelor’s degrees or higher in Louisville, the prevalence of degrees varies substantially across the city. In the map to the left, areas where more young adults have bachelor’s degrees or higher are purple, while areas where fewer young adults hold bachelor’s degrees or higher are white. Similar to other maps of post-secondary degrees, there is a distinct divide between western and eastern Louisville.
Post-secondary educational achievement is most concentrated the Highlands where nearly 64% of the young adult population have at least a bachelor’s degree. Conversely, the lowest concentration of earned bachelor’s degrees can be seen in the Portland neighborhood, where less than 3% of young adults have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Scroll over the map to see values for each neighborhood. Zoom in to see street names that form that boundaries of each neighborhood.
Louisville has improved fairly consistently in attainment of bachelor’s degrees or higher, however, the city has fallen behind the peer mean since 2010. Thirty-eight percent of Louisville young adults currently have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Since 2000, Louisville has outperformed both the least and most improved cities, Memphis and Greenville, respectfully. However, Louisville is currently 2.1 percentage points below the peer mean.
The gap between whites and Blacks in the rate of obtainment of bachelor’s degrees or higher has not decreased since the year 2000. The rate of degrees among whites is more than double that for Blacks. Both groups are near their respective 25th percentiles.
Females in Louisville continue to obtain bachelor’s degrees or higher at a rate higher than than their male counterparts. The female peer mean has consistently outperformed the rate for females in Louisville, however the gap is decreasing from a 2012 gap high. Louisville males have hovered around their peer mean since 2008, but fell slightly behind in 2016.
Postsecondary education is a significant factor in determining the lifetime earning potential of the average American, making it a critical variable in combating multidimensional poverty. Measuring educational attainment and employment success is crucial in understanding the success of the K-12 educational system. The main metric for postsecondary education is the percent of working age adults with a bachelor’s degree. Louisville has a target goal of 40% of working age adults holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Louisville currently ranks 11th among its peer cities in rates of individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, with 36.5% having earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
Louisville is in the bottom cluster of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are cities that lag behind their peers on this indicator.
Although Louisville ranks 11th out of 17 cities in attainment of bachelor’s degrees or higher, there is a clear geographical divide in the attainment of a secondary education degree. In the map to the left, areas where bachelor’s and advanced degrees are earned at a high rate can be seen in purple, and areas with lower rates of degree attainment are blue and white.
The highest attainment of secondary degrees can be seen in eastern Louisville in the Northeast Jefferson area, where the highest percentage reaches over 80%. In comparison, western Louisville communities earned fewer secondary education degrees, with the lowest rate being below 3% in some areas of Portland and Chickasaw-Shawnee.
Scroll over the map to see values for each census tract. Zoom in to see street names that form the boundaries of each tract.
Louisville’s rate of bachelor’s degree or higher attainment has outpaced the peer 25th percentile since 2008. However, the city continues to fall below the peer mean, currently standing at 35%.
Nashville continues to perform as the most improved peer city, while Louisville is increasing its rate of working adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, but at a rate lower than the peer mean. Tulsa, is the least improved city and has shows little performance variation since 2009.
More White residents hold bachelor’s degrees than Black residents, a persistent reality. Both White and Black residents in Louisville are seeing increasing rates of degree attainment, however whites are seeing more strides. Both groups continue to fall below their respective peer city means. The degree attainment rate for whites is more than double that of Blacks.
Since 2014, in Louisville and across our peer cities, females have obtained bachelor’s degrees or higher at a higher rate than males. Locally, both males and females currently fall below their respective peer means.
To dig deeper into the demographics and view all combinations of race, sex, and age, view the interactive degree dashboard.
The educational attainment of young adults in Louisville lays the groundwork for the academic outcomes of future generations. An educated workforce is also important to establishing 21st-century jobs to make Louisville competitive in the modern economy. College attainment among young adults is an important indicator of the effectiveness of Louisville’s educational system and its ability to attract educated workers from other cities.
Louisville currently ranks 8th among its peer cities with 13.5% of young adults having earned a post-baccalaureate degree.
Louisville is in the middle of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
While thirteen percent of young adults hold graduate or professional degrees in Louisville, the prevalence of degrees varies substantially across the city. In the map to the left, areas where more young adults have post-baccalaureate degrees are purple, while areas where fewer young adults hold post-baccalaureate degrees are blue and white. Similar to other maps of post-secondary degrees, there is a distinct divide between western and eastern Louisville.
Post-baccalaureate educational achievement is most concentrated the Highlands where over 31% of the young adult population have a graduate or professional degree. Conversely, the lowest concentration of earned post-baccalaureate degrees can be seen in the Portland neighborhood, where approximately 0% of young adults have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Scroll over the map to see values for each census tract. Zoom in to see street names that form that boundaries of each tract.
The rate of graduate degree attainment in Louisville has fallen since 2013. It now lies below the 75th percentile at 13.5%, one percentage point below that percentile. The city has performed above the peer mean since the year 2000.
Since 2010, Louisville has outpaced the peer mean and the most improved city, Omaha. Currently, 13.5% of young adults in Louisville have a graduate degree. Greensboro is the least improved city.
The gap between Blacks and whites has increased since the year 2000. Whites in Louisville are performing above their peer mean at 15.7%, while Blacks in Louisville are performing under their peer mean at just 5.5%.
The gap between young adult females and males has widened since 2011. Both young adult females and males in Louisville are outpacing their respective peer means. The rate for graduate degree attainment for females in Louisville stands at 15.7%. The rate for males in Louisville stands at 11.2%.
Graduate and professional education can open greater opportunities for Louisvillians in the city’s educational and employment systems. Achieving a graduate or professional degree can positively impact an individual’s overall ability to thrive in their community, and growing up with caregivers who have achieved graduate or professional degrees increases a child’s likelihood to pursue secondary education.
Louisville currently ranks 8th among its peer cities with 14.4% of working age individuals having earned a graduate or professional degree.
Louisville is in the middle of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
While nearly 14% of working age adults hold graduate or professional degrees in Louisville, the prevalence of degrees varies substantially across the city. In the map to the left, areas where more working age adults have post-baccalaureate degrees are purple, while areas where fewer working age adults hold post-baccalaureate degrees are blue and white. Similar to other maps of post-secondary degrees, there is a distinct divide between western and eastern Louisville.
Post-baccalaureate educational achievement is most concentrated Southeast Louisville where over 42% of the working age adult population have a graduate or professional degree. Conversely, the lowest concentration of earned post-baccalaureate degrees can be seen in the Portland, Russell and South Louisville neighborhoods, where less than 1% of working age adults have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Scroll over the map to see values for each census tract. Zoom in to see street names that form that boundaries of each tract.
Since 2000, Louisville continues to outpace the peer mean in the rate of graduate degree attainment. After topping the 75th percentile in 2014, the city fell back towards the peer mean in 2016 and currently sits at 13.6%. This is 0.3 percentage points above the peer mean.
Working adults in Louisville and the most improved city, St. Louis, have obtained graduate degrees at a rate higher than the peer mean. Louisville has trailed behind. St. Louis since the year 2000. Currently, 13.6% of working adults in Louisville have a graduate degree. This is decrease from a high in 2014. Indianapolis, the least improved city has trailed behind the peer mean since 2000.
Since the year 2000, Louisville has made no improvement narrowing the gap between white and Black graduate degree attainment. Both groups are currently below their respective peer means. Blacks in Louisville are currently further below their peer mean and whites in Louisville.
Since the year 2008, the gap between females and males in Louisville increased, overall. Currently, females in Louisville stand at 14.9%, above their peer mean, while males in Louisville stand 12.3%, slightly below their peer mean.
Certificates are a means to increased professional growth and a higher income. They might be a standalone qualification or a complement to a college degree. Examples include a real estate license, a medical assistant certification, a Teacher License or an IT certification. Certificates allow workers to obtain job-specific skills and often open the door for high school graduates to obtain a two or four-year degree later in life. Industry leaders identify certificate earners as life-long learners with ambition and workplace efficiency, opening the door to promotions and raises. Collection of certificate data only began in 2015, so further breakdowns of this metric are currently unavailable.
Louisville currently ranks 9th among its peer cities in rates of certificate attainment, with 21.3% of working-age adults holding a certificate. Around one-quarter of certificate holders do not have a college degree, meaning their certificate is their highest credential.
Louisville is in the middle cluster of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red lag behind their peers on this indicator.
Louisville’s economic development efforts should focus the quality of jobs created, not just the quantity. Emphasizing job growth in high-wage sectors will help more families achieve financial stability and reinvest their expendable income into the community. Additionally, the percentage of high wage jobs is an important factor for individuals who are considering moving to Louisville and joining the workforce.
Louisville currently ranks 13th among its peer cities in the rate of workers employed in high wage jobs, with 41.3% of its workforce employed in high wage jobs. Jobs are determined as high wage if their categorical assignment within the American Community Survey has a median income of greater than $35,600. These industries include management professionals, law enforcement, and construction/maintenance.
Louisville is in the middle of its peer group according to a natural breaks algorithm. Cities in green are those that outperform their peers, cities in yellow represent the middle cluster, and those in red are a group that lags behind its peers on this indicator.
There is a clear geographical divide in where workers in high wage occupations live. In the map to the left, areas where more workers in high wage occupations live are displayed in purple, while areas containing fewer can be seen in blue and white.
More workers in high wage occupations live in eastern Louisville in communities such as the Highlands and Northeast Jefferson, where the highest percentage reaches 62%. In comparison, western and southern Louisville communities have the fewest workers in high wage occupations with rates as low as 16% in the California neighborhood.
Scroll over the map to see values for each census tract. Zoom in to see street names that form the boundaries of each tract.
Since the year 2000, Louisville has trailed behind the peer mean, hovering around the 25 percentile. The city is less than one percentage point below the 25th percentile and sits at 39.9%.
Louisville has never risen above the peer mean during the period of data collection shown on the graph. The percentage of Louisvillians in high wage occupations currently stands at 39.9%, below the 42.1% peer mean. Knoxville, the most improved peer city has outpaced the peer mean since 2000. Memphis, the least improved city has fallen below the peer mean since 2000.
Louisville has a consistent gap between Black and white residents in high wage occupations. Since 2013, the gap has widened. Forty-four point 4 percent of white Louisvillians are employed in a high wage occupation. This is below their peer mean of 48.5%. Only 25.7% of Black Louisvillians are employed in high wage occupations. The gap between Black Louisvillians and the peer mean for Black people is wider than the gap for white Louisvillians and their white peers.
Females in Louisville began outpacing males in Louisville prior to the year 2008 in the percentage of individuals employed in high wage occupations. While both groups are currently below their respective peer means, females in Louisville are closer to their peer mean than males.
Undergraduate enrollment is the number of students enrolled for credit in a degree- or certificate-granting program. Total enrollment has been steadily decreasing for both two-year and four-year institutions since 2010.
Retention measures the number of first-year students who return to college for their second year (also referred to as freshman-to-sophomore retention.) Higher retention rates indicate that more students are continuing with their degrees rather than transferring or dropping out. Since 2010, retention rates at four-year institutions has remained steady, while retention rates at two-year institutions decreased for a few years before slowly recovering.
For consistency, we limit the data to first-time, full-time degree- or certificate-seeking students.
For each indicator, Greater Louisville Project assigns cities into one of three groups (high-performing, middle-of-the-pack, and low-performing) based on how they compare to other cities. The assignment is based on how cities naturally cluster on that indicator. Sometimes, the differences between cities are very small, and the difference between a city ranked 5th and 6th could simply be a matter of the sampling error that arises from using survey data. Thus, rather than always make a division that declares the top 5 to be the top tier, we use a natural breaks algorithm to look for a cluster of cities that is outperforming the rest, a cluster that is about average, and a cluster that is lagging. This clustering gives us a better indication of where Louisville is thriving and where Louisville has room to learn from cities that are doing better.
Z-scores (or standardization) is a way to combine data with different units of measurement into a single index. The z-score is a measure of how far away a city (or census tract, etc.) is from the average city. In order to be comparable across different units of measurement, the z-score is the distance from the mean measured in standard deviations (e.g. if Louisville has a z-score of 1 it means Louisville is 1 standard deviation above the mean of its peer cities).
Data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings use z-scores and all z-scores are relative to the mean of Louisville's peer cities. (On the County Health Rankings site z-scores are relative to all the counties in each state - thus z-scores reported by GLP will be different, because we are using a different reference group). The Greater Louisville Project also uses z-scores in our multidimensional poverty index, which compares each census tract to the mean of all census tracts in Louisville.
