The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success - One Illinois

A Blueprint for the Future of Illinois

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Goal 1: Increase Educational Attainment
Educational Level of Adult Population - Age 25-34 with an associate’s degree or higher.


Performance Measures Public
Agenda Baseline		 Year 2 2018
Year 10		 Benchmarks
Education Level of Adult Population. Proportion of adults age 25-34 with associate’s degree or higher. 40.8% 45.2% 51.7%*
  • Best-performing world countries;
  • Five best-performing U.S. states; and
  • Selected competitor/ neighboring U.S. states

* The number provided for the goal in 2018 is the midpoint between the best-performing and the fifth best-performing world country for this performance measure and may change in the future as performance changes.

Points of Interest

Illinois in Comparison to World Countries
  • The U.S. has experienced very slow growth in its attainment rate.  But other countries have been increasing their degree attainment rate at much faster rates and these greater rates have carried some of them past the United States in this decade.  (Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 2010)
  • Illinois ranks slightly above the United States but is below world countries in the percent of adults 25-34 with an associate’s degree or higher. (Figure 1.1)

  • Illinois is not among the top five best-performing states, yet; but Illinois has improved in national ranking from 18th to 11th and increased the percentage from 40.8 percent to 45.2 percent. (Figure 1.2)

Figure 1.1. Percent of adults 25-34 with associates degree or higher in the five best-performing OECD Countries, Illinois, and United States.
Figure 1.1. Percent of adults 25-34 with associate’s degree or higher in the five best-performing OECD Countries, Illinois, and United States.

Goal in 2018
  • The midpoint between the best-performing and the fifth best-performing is 51.7 percent. (Korea, 57.9, and Norway, 47.6)

Illinois in Comparison to to Other U.S. States

Figure 1.2. Percent of adults 25-34 with associate’s degree or higher, five best-performing states, four high population states, five surrounding states, Illinois, and U.S. Shadows represent baseline data.
Figure 1.2. Percent of adults 25-34 with associate’s degree or higher, five best-performing states, four high population states, five surrounding states, Illinois, and U.S. Shadows represent baseline data. 
[ Goal 1 Progress Update ]