Educational Attainment of Washington Population by Age, Race/Ethnicity/, and PUMA Region

The American Community Survey (ACS) is designed to estimate the characteristic distribution of populations and estimated counts should only be used to calculate percentages. They do not represent the actual population counts or totals. Beginning in 2019, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) has measured educational attainment for the Roadmap Progress Report using one-year American Community Survey (ACS) data from the United States Census Bureau. These public microdata represents the most current data, but it is limited to areas with larger populations leading to some multi-county regions*.

*The American Community Survey is not the official source of population counts. It is designed to show the characteristics of the nation's population and should not be used as actual population counts or housing totals for the nation, states or counties. The official population count — including population by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin — comes from the once-a-decade census, supplemented by annual population estimates (which do not typically contain educational attainment variables) from the following groups and surveys:
-- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM): https://www.ofm.wa.gov/washington-data-research/population-demographics -- US Census Decennial Census: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html and Population Estimates Program: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html

**In prior years, WSAC used both the five-year and three-year (now discontinued) data. While the 5-year estimates provide a larger sample, they are not recommended for year to year trends and also are released later than the one-year files.

Detailed information about the ACS at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance.html

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source https://data.wa.gov/resource/aqa5-4cee
Author Chadd_Bennett
Last Updated July 22, 2025, 20:23 (UTC)
Created July 22, 2025, 20:23 (UTC)
1. The American Community Survey is not the official source of population counts. American Community Survey data are designed to show the characteristics of the nation's population and should not be used as actual population counts or housing totals for the nation, states or counties. The official population count — including population by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin — comes from the once-a-decade census, supplemented by annual population estimates (e.g. Population Estimates Program and Washington's OFM).
2. Single year labels (e.g. 2017) represent 1-year ACS survey data.
3. Educational Attainment (schl_recode): 0 Less than high school; 2 High school or equivalent; 3 Some college, no degree; 4 Associate degree; 5 Bachelor's degree; 6 Master's degree; 7 Professional or Doctorate degree
4. Ethnicity and Race (rac1p_recode): 0 Hispanic/Latino (of any race); 1 White; 2 Black or African American; 3 American Indian/Alaska Native; 6 Asian; 7 Pacific Islander; 8 Some Other Race; 9 Two or More Races
5. Aggregated PUMA Regions: PUMAs are special non-overlapping areas that partition each state into contiguous geographic units containing no fewer than 100,000 people each,” leading to some multi-county puma regions. (2017 ACS 1-Year PUMS Files ReadMe) In this dataset, counties that contain multiple PUMAs are aggregated to the county level, including Spokane, Yakima, Clark, Thurston, Pierce, King, Snohomish, and Kitsap Counties. In the case of Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties, the following three puma areas were aggregated into a tri-county region: 10701-Benton & Franklin Counties--Pasco, Richland (North) & West Richland Cities, 10702-Benton County (East Central)--Kennewick & Richland (South) Cities, 10703-Walla Walla, Benton (Outer) & Franklin (Outer) Counties. The remaining county clusters represent the non-aggregated puma region. Codes in this dataset are the first three digits of the PUMA code: 101 Whatcom County--Bellingham City; 102 Skagit, Island & San Juan Counties; 103 Chelan & Douglas Counties; 104 Stevens, Okanogan, Pend Oreille & Ferry Counties; 105 Spokane County; 106 Whitman, Asotin, Adams, Lincoln, Columbia & Garfield Counties; 107 Benton, Franklin, Kennewick, Richland & Walla Walla Counties; 108 Grant & Kittitas Counties; 109 Yakima County; 110 Lewis, Klickitat & Skamania Counties; 111 Clark County; 112 Cowlitz, Pacific & Wahkiakum Counties; 113 Grays Harbor & Mason Counties; 114 Thurston County; 115 Pierce County; 116 King County; 117 Snohomish County; 118 Kitsap County; 119 Clallam & Jefferson Counties; Total Total
6. Age (f_age_cat): < 18; 18-24; 25-44; 45-64; >= 65; Total
Category Education
Period of Time 1-Year ACS represents data collected in a calendar year. Multi-year labels (not yet included) represent 5 calendar years of pooled data.
Posting Frequency Annual (Spring)
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harvest_source_title washington-state