Tampa Bay’s postsecondary degree attainment rate continues to outpace Florida’s, according to new information released by the Florida College Access Network (FCAN). Including an estimated 8 percent of adults with a relevant workforce certificate, the Tampa Bay region’s overall postsecondary attainment rate – as of the end of the 2017 school year – stands at 51.3 percent. This is 2 percentage points ahead of the state and 3.7 points ahead of the country as a whole.
Updated degree attainment “profiles” show the degree attainment rate (two-year degree or higher) for the counties served by LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network grew 2.9 percent in the four years after 2013 to 43.3 percent.
A report on postsecondary attainment released earlier this month by the Lumina Foundation showed further progress, estimating the percentage of Floridians with a high-quality workforce certificate increased from 7 percent to 8 percent. This figure, combined with Tampa Bay’s degree attainment figures, reveals more than half of adults in the region now hold college degrees or high-quality credentials. LEAP Tampa Bay’s goal, as established by its 17 community partners, is to increase the number of working age adults in Tampa Bay with a degree or high-quality credential to 60 percent by 2025.
With certificates included, Florida’s overall postsecondary attainment is now 49.3 percent – 1.7 percent higher than the national average.
The new degree attainment profiles were created for all Florida counties and local college access networks (LCANs) in the state, helping provide a clearer picture of where each county and LCAN stands in its effort to advance postsecondary education opportunities for its residents. Using information from the 2017 U.S. Census, the profiles feature general degree attainment trends, wage information and demographic data.
Links to the profiles for all 67 counties and 13 LCANs, can be found on the Florida College Access Network’s website.
You can also access the profiles for our region here:
