Kentucky Educational Attainment By Race and Ethnicity for Ages 25 years and Above in 2021 (ACS-5Yrs)

Updated on August 19, 2025.

Based on the US Census ACS-5Yrs estimates, in 2021, the Kentucky population aged 25 years and above was 3,053,564. See the following sections for the breakdown of the educational attainment of this important demography by race and ethnicity.

Less high school diploma: there were 376,963 people without a high school diploma (ie. 12.35% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 85.20% White Alone, and 7.26% Black Alone.

High School Graduate or Equivalent: there were 1,000,507 people with a high school diploma or equivalent (ie. 32.77% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 89.11% White Alone, and 7.53% Black Alone.

Some College or Associates Degree: there were 891,024 people with some college courses without a degree or an associates degree (ie. 29.18% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 86.98% White Alone, and 8.96% Black Alone.

Bachelors Degree or higher: there were 785,070 people with a bachelors degree or a higher degree (ie. 25.71% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 88.64% White Alone, and 5.55% Black Alone.

The first and second charts below shows the race and ethnicity composition at each educational level. Also see tables below for the population and percentages per race and per ethnicity for each educational level.

You can see similar information for other states and for the United States.

Educational Attainment of Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) By Race in 2021
Less HS Dipl.
HS Grad. or Equiv.
Some Coll. or AA
Bachelors+
Educational Attainment of Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) By Ethnicity in 2021
Less HS Dipl.
HS Grad. or Equiv.
Some Coll. or AA
Bachelors+
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with Less than High School Diploma Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 321184 85.20
Black Alone 27368 7.26
Asian Alone 6963 1.85
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 829 0.22
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 352 0.09
Some Other Race Alone 9061 2.40
Two or More Races 11206 2.97
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with Less than High School Diploma Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 311220 82.56
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 24547 6.51
All Other Ethnicities 41196 10.93
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with High School Diploma or Equivalent Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 891516 89.11
Black Alone 75357 7.53
Asian Alone 6151 0.62
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 1492 0.15
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 502 0.05
Some Other Race Alone 7449 0.75
Two or More Races 18040 1.80
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with High School Diploma or Equivalent Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 879453 87.90
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 24353 2.43
All Other Ethnicities 96701 9.66
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with Some College Courses or an Associates Degree Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 774995 86.98
Black Alone 79820 8.96
Asian Alone 6984 0.78
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 1768 0.20
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 772 0.09
Some Other Race Alone 4988 0.56
Two or More Races 21697 2.44
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with Some College Courses or an Associates Degree Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 764823 85.84
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 19762 2.22
All Other Ethnicities 106439 11.95
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with a Bachelors Degree or Higher Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 695914 88.64
Black Alone 43576 5.55
Asian Alone 23506 2.99
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 727 0.09
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 275 0.04
Some Other Race Alone 4058 0.52
Two or More Races 17014 2.17
Kentucky Population (aged 25yrs+) with a Bachelors Degree or Higher Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 685790 87.35
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 18723 2.38
All Other Ethnicities 80557 10.26