Racial Equity
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21


Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21

What does this measure?

The number of residents with a particular level of education in a region, expressed as a percentage of all residents 25 and older, broken down by race and ethnicity.

Why is this important?

An educated population makes a more attractive workforce and is better prepared to instruct the next generation of residents. High educational attainment positions a region well for long-term growth.There are persistent gaps in academic achievement among students of different races, ethnicities and incomes, and this is likely reflected in levels of educational attainment.

How is our county doing?

The share of Essex County adults in 2017-21 with a bachelor's degree or higher was highest among Asian residents (59%), followed by white residents (45%), African American residents (25%) and Hispanic residents (15%). Essex County had similar rates to the state, although its rate for Hispanic residents with a bachelor's degree was 7 points lower. Essex also had a lower shares of Hispanic residents with least a bachelor's degree compared to the national level at 18%.

All groups in Essex County increased their rates of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher since 2000. Asian residents had the largest increase of 18 percentage points, while white resident increased by 12 points, African American residents increased by 9 points, and Hispanic residents by 6 points.

How do we compare to similar counties?

The comparison counties had similar racial and ethnic disparities in education levels, but varied in their extent. Essex County had lower rates of Asian and white adults with at least a bachelor's degree than all the comparison counties. The percentages of African American and Hispanic residents with bachelor's degrees in Essex was similar to Lake, IL and lower than Westchester, NY (35% and 25%, respectively) and Middlesex, MA (39% and 33%).

Why do these disparities exist?

There are a variety of factors believed to contribute to disparities in educational attainment. School systems in the United States are highly segregated, and students of color disproportionately attend schools with high proportions of low-income students who may not have benefited from early learning opportunities at the same rate as other students. Schools also have different levels of resources ranging from qualified/experienced teachers to advanced courses to facilities and technology, and schools with large Black and Latino populations often have lower levels. In addition, teachers across all school systems tend to be disproportionately white, and teaching practices and curriculum may not be culturally relevant to students of color. Low staff expectations at racially and economically segregated schools also contribute disparities in educational attainment. The accumulation of inequities leads to lower graduation rates and college matriculation, with college affordability acting as another barrier. When Black and Latino students enter higher education institutions, they are less likely to attain a college a degree given weaker academic preparation and financial hardship.

Notes about the data

Adults are people 25 and older. The multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval).

The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Essex County, MA59%26%15%45%
Amesbury74%******18%******31%******40%
Beverly54%****33%******11%******51%
Gloucester65%******41%******29%******39%
Haverhill42%****21%****14%**33%
Lawrence47%****28%**9%14%
Lynn20%**20%**9%26%
Methuen60%**22%**15%**32%
Newburyport54%******85%******71%******64%
Peabody65%****24%****21%**36%
Salem58%****40%****28%**51%
Andover86%47%******58%**74%
Boxford55%******N/A******100%******69%
Danvers58%****22%******49%******46%
EssexN/A******N/A******40%******63%
Georgetown100%******61%******12%******54%
Groveland100%******N/A******40%******49%
Hamilton94%****0%******94%******67%
Ipswich44%******59%******51%******56%
Lynnfield92%**47%******35%******60%
Manchester98%******N/A******95%******78%
Marblehead59%******55%******57%****78%
Merrimac100%******N/A******29%******35%
Middleton93%******0%******6%******38%
Nahant100%******65%******0%******65%
Newbury58%******N/A******55%******56%
North Andover70%**48%****34%****60%
Rockport0%******100%******55%******58%
Rowley100%******0%******N/A******46%
Salisbury68%******95%******47%****42%
Saugus51%****30%******46%****30%
Swampscott39%******33%******38%******64%
Topsfield93%******35%******74%******72%
Wenham51%******N/A******53%******69%
West Newbury17%******N/A******92%******62%
Middlesex County, MA71%39%33%59%
Lake County, IL72%22%14%50%
Westchester County, NY73%35%25%59%
Massachusetts63%29%22%47%
United States56%23%18%36%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Adults are people 25 and older. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Number of Adults, with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Essex County, MA11,3195,74415,022200,019
Amesbury93******13******92******4,663
Beverly351****163******127******13,844
Gloucester171******142******166******8,558
Haverhill255****349****1,206**12,165
Lawrence517****873**3,9433,197
Lynn679**1,750**2,0999,578
Methuen1,011**478**1,344**8,166
Newburyport104******57******178******8,082
Peabody454****307****760**12,576
Salem600****503****1,413**13,520
Andover3,479145******846**14,093
Boxford58******0******61******3,842
Danvers217****97******514******8,686
Essex0******0******6******1,576
Georgetown53******14******14******3,119
Groveland41******0******36******2,250
Hamilton312****0******34******3,157
Ipswich130******61******103******5,204
Lynnfield356**68******34******4,675
Manchester57******0******73******2,798
Marblehead155******46******235****10,896
Merrimac39******0******11******1,584
Middleton89******0******21******2,705
Nahant25******33******0******1,713
Newbury63******0******41******2,758
North Andover1,099**244****472****10,135
Rockport0******4******24******3,220
Rowley14******0******0******2,100
Salisbury92******92******184****2,650
Saugus482****215******547****5,660
Swampscott106******53******203******6,398
Topsfield184******37******52******2,989
Wenham25******0******19******1,645
West Newbury8******0******164******1,817
Middlesex County, MA101,36420,78225,802506,253
Lake County, IL29,1556,29811,890171,692
Westchester County, NY32,25635,75139,803253,205
Massachusetts207,04195,623106,8951,796,983
United States7,414,0606,261,1616,440,95556,816,195

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Adults are people 25 and older. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2000
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Essex County, MA41%17%9%33%
Beverly65%23%31%36%
Gloucester49%43%16%28%
Haverhill51%25%9%24%
Lawrence14%8%6%13%
Lynn15%15%9%18%
Methuen33%13%13%23%
Newburyport51%53%23%42%
Peabody52%10%10%23%
Salem44%25%18%32%
Andover81%29%61%62%
Boxford89%N/A56%63%
Danvers61%43%26%33%
Essex68%N/AN/A36%
GeorgetownN/AN/A0%38%
GrovelandN/A0%N/A34%
Hamilton42%78%84%52%
Ipswich0%N/A25%42%
Lynnfield84%27%29%50%
Manchester100%N/AN/A56%
Marblehead74%32%59%62%
Merrimac0%N/A0%31%
Middleton31%0%0%30%
Nahant68%100%100%47%
Newbury0%0%0%45%
North Andover77%44%31%49%
Rockport13%0%100%45%
Rowley71%N/AN/A36%
Salisbury16%75%0%17%
Saugus22%24%21%19%
Swampscott23%23%31%51%
Topsfield100%100%52%51%
WenhamN/AN/AN/A51%
West Newbury0%100%29%57%
Middlesex County, MA61%30%24%44%
Lake County, IL65%17%8%41%
Westchester County, NY66%23%16%45%
Massachusetts50%20%14%34%
United States44%14%10%26%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Adults are people 25 and older. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Number of Adults, with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2000
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Essex County, MA4,1201,6613,498143,536
Beverly176601239,737
Gloucester6367375,802
Haverhill2291562038,533
Lawrence1741301,1902,909
Lynn4357466567,565
Methuen271432636,412
Newburyport1916405,359
Peabody21424847,597
Salem2711623738,103
Andover1,0893214711,871
Boxford580253,079
Danvers9153375,699
Essex1300796
Georgetown0001,851
Groveland0001,351
Hamilton9721662,725
Ipswich00223,845
Lynnfield6412293,883
Manchester6002,068
Marblehead7513298,952
Merrimac0001,247
Middleton17001,540
Nahant53671,268
Newbury0002,033
North Andover55247688,176
Rockport50152,519
Rowley20001,285
Salisbury7210913
Saugus4520283,554
Swampscott515225,084
Topsfield349162,082
Wenham0001,217
West Newbury0851,582
Middlesex County, MA34,4188,8628,487386,677
Lake County, IL10,5163,9953,636136,689
Westchester County, NY18,57918,13313,401211,937
Massachusetts72,33438,24929,7451,278,121
United States2,925,7432,831,2691,908,03937,291,563

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Adults are people 25 and older. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults Not Applicable
Preterm Births Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Youth Arrests Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment Maintaining
Tourism Spending Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Charitable Contributions Maintaining
Protected Land Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality Increasing
Beach Contamination Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident Decreasing
Crimes Against People Maintaining
Crimes Against Property Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence Increasing
Incarceration Rates Decreasing
Recidivism Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Change in Total Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Households by Type Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work Not Applicable
Employer Size Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Bullying Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Median Home Value Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Increasing
Cost of Renting Increasing
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeless Persons Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate Decreasing
Mortality Rate Decreasing
People who Smoke Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Suicide Rate Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable