Educational Attainment of Towns Overview
Northern Virginia localities are home to some of the most highly educated residents in the nation. This high education level of the region's citizens creates a strong, flourishing business community. The percentage of Northern Virginia's population age 25 or more holding a bachelor's or higher degree is 60.4%, which is nearly double the United States, and holding a graduate or professional degree is 29.4%, which is more than double the United States.
About the Data and Proper Data Interpretation
Educational attainment data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census and the American Community Survey. All of the incorporated towns in Northern Virginia have a population of less than 65,000 persons. One-year ACS estimates do not exist for incorporated places with a population of less than 65,000. All incorporated towns and places in the United States are included in the five-year ACS estimates.
It is important to note that any data sourced from the ACS is based on a small sample of the population of a place. The ACS estimates for places with smaller populations such as Clifton, Dumfries, Hamilton, Haymarket, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg, and Quantico can be unreliable if the margin of error is large. The margin of error is shown in the popup that is displayed when hovering over a bar in the bar charts. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and is not considered statistically significant. In addition to the margin of error, the accuracy of the American Community Survey data for an area can be gaged by evaluating the trend. If the data has a clear trend then the data from one period to the next can be deemed reliable.
Educational Attainment - Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Current
The population age 25 or over with bachelor's or higher degrees of the counties, cities, and incorporated towns in Northern Virginia is shown in this graph. All towns, except for Dumfries, have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than the United States and Commonwealth of Virginia. The towns of Clifton and Vienna have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than Northern Virginia overall.
Graduate or Professional Degrees - Current
The population age 25 or over with graduate or professional degrees of the counties, cities, and incorporated towns in Northern Virginia is shown in this graph. The towns of Clifton and Vienna have higher percentages of bachelor's or higher degree holders than Northern Virginia overall.
Educational Attainment - Historic Compared to Current
Bachelor's or Higher Degrees - Historic Compared to Current
The trend over time in the population age 25 or over with bachelor's or higher degrees in Northern Virginia and its incorporated towns are shown in this graph. Due to the small size of many towns, the educational attainment data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error of the educational attainment data should be taken into consideration. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.
Graduate or Professional Degree - Historic Compared to Current
The trend over time in the population age 25 or over with graduate or professional degrees in Northern Virginia and its incorporated towns are shown in this graph. Due to the small size of many towns, the educational attainment data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error of the educational attainment data should be taken into consideration. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.