NOVA Region Dashboard
Key Facts Educational Attainment Towns
Northern Virginia localities are home to some of the most highly educated residents in the nation. This high education level of the region's citizens creates a strong, flourishing business community. The percentage of Northern Virginia's population age 25 or more holding a bachelor's or higher degree is 60.4%, which is nearly double the United States, and holding a graduate or professional degree is 29.4%, which is more than double the United States.
About the Data and Data Interpretation
Educational attainment data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Decennial Census and the American Community Survey from 2006 to the present. All jurisdictions in the United States are included in the Decennial Census and five-year American Community Survey estimates, including incorporated towns. The American Community Survey is a survey with a small sample size. Areas with small populations typically have a large margin of error in the data due to the survey sample size being small, while this is less of an issue the larger the population. The margin of error is shown in the popup that is displayed when hovering over a bar in the bar charts. The ACS estimates for small places are deemed unreliable if the margin of error is large. In addition to the margin of error, the accuracy of the American Community Survey data for an area can be gaged by evaluating the trend. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.
As seen in the population charts, as of 2020, 9 of the 14 incorporated towns in Northern Virginia had a population of less than 3,000, which is considered small. Due to the small size of many towns, the educational attainment data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error in the educational attainment data should be taken into consideration.
A place is considered statistically similar to its characteristics of past years/periods if the margin of error causes the low and high range of today's estimate to overlap with the past years/periods. If the figures overlap, it cannot be said for certain that a figure is different than the prior year/period, even though the middle of the road estimate may be higher or lower. Estimates are considered statistically different if the estimate range does not overlap.
Educational Attainment - Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Current
The population age 25 or over with bachelor's or higher degrees of the counties, cities, and incorporated towns in Northern Virginia is shown in this graph. All towns, except for Dumfries, have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than the United States and Commonwealth of Virginia. The towns of Clifton and Vienna have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than Northern Virginia overall.
Graduate or Professional Degrees - Current
The population age 25 or over with graduate or professional degrees of the counties, cities, and incorporated towns in Northern Virginia is shown in this graph. The towns of Clifton and Vienna have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than Northern Virginia overall.
Educational Attainment - Historic Compared to Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Historic Compared to Current
The trend over time in the population age 25 or over with bachelor's or higher degrees in Northern Virginia and its incorporated towns are shown in this graph. Due to the small size of many towns, the educational attainment data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error of the educational attainment data should be taken into consideration. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.
Graduate or Professional Degree - Historic Compared to Current
The trend over time in the population age 25 or over with graduate or professional degrees in Northern Virginia and its incorporated towns are shown in this graph. Due to the small size of many towns, the educational attainment data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error of the educational attainment data should be taken into consideration. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.