What does this measure?

The number of residents with a particular level of education, expressed as a percentage of all residents 25 and older.

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 represents a region's investment in human capital and preparation for long–term growth.

How are Cayuga and Seneca counties performing?

Compared to the state (excluding NYC) and nation, Cayuga and Seneca counties had fewer adults with bachelor’s or higher degrees and more with a high school diploma. In 2006–10, 18% of adults in both counties held at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 28% in the nation and 31% in the state. High school graduates made up 37% of the adult population in Cayuga and 36% in Seneca, compared to about 30% in both the state and nation. About 30% in both counties had some college or an associate’s degree, and the rest lacked a high school diploma, similar to the state and nation. The counties’ educational profile was similar to Oswego and Wayne, but Onondaga and Ontario had more residents with bachelor’s or higher degrees.

Notes about the data

The 2006–10 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.