{"id":72417,"date":"2026-02-06T13:04:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=72417"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:10:02","slug":"michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Michigan\u2019s postsecondary education attainment rate has grown<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nationally its ranking has fallen<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One advocate noted that means the state is falling behind on workforce competitiveness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Michigan has increased its share of residents with a postsecondary credential by 5% since it set a goal seven years ago to increase educational attainment, according to a new report released Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In spite of the growth, the state fell in national rankings for educational attainment during that same time period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, 51.6% of Michigan residents ages 25-64 held either a certificate, associate, bachelor\u2019s, graduate or professional degree, according to the latest \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/strongernation.luminafoundation.org\/attainment\/michigan\">Stronger Nation<\/a>\u201d report from the Lumina Foundation, which has tracked educational attainment nationally for 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an increase from 49.1% in 2019 when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set a goal of increasing postsecondary educational attainment to 60% of Michigan residents by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, Michigan has invested millions of dollars in scholarships for traditional college students and adults to defray tuition costs. While postsecondary education attainment has increased, Michigan ranked 39th overall in 2024 when compared to 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-rises-from-bottom-in-college-financial-aid-with-slate-of-new-grants\/\"><strong>Michigan rises from bottom in college financial aid with slate of new grants<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/whitmer-wants-more-men-michigan-colleges-and-job-training-what-know\/\"><strong>Whitmer wants more men in Michigan colleges and job training. What to know<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/how-get-free-tuition-michigan-colleges-and-universities\"><strong>How to get free tuition from Michigan colleges and universities<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/college-may-not-be-right-choice-all-high-school-grads\/\"><strong>College may not be the right choice for all high school grads<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But one advocate noted that in spite of progress, the state ranked higher in national rankings in 2019: 37th, according to Lumina, which is based in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis latest update to Lumina\u2019s Stronger Nation report illustrates that Michigan is making progress on increasing the educational attainment levels among the state\u2019s working-age residents,\u201d said Daniel Hurley, CEO of Michigan Association of State Universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHowever, it is notable that the state is simultaneously falling behind from a workforce competitiveness standpoint,\u201d said Hurley, whose organization advocates for the state\u2019s 15 public universities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt underscores the competitive national landscape within which Michigan is operating and is evidence that state leaders throughout the country recognize that boosting educational attainment and workforce talent levels is the most important factor in achieving state economic goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michigan also currently ranks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitchamber.com\/2025-state-of-education-talent-recap\/\">40th in the nation for per-capita income<\/a>, added Lou Glazer, CEO Michigan Future Inc., a think tank offering ideas for the state\u2019s success. \u201cIt\u2019s the lowest we\u2019ve ever been.\u201d States with the highest per-capita income have a much higher share of residents with a four-year degree or higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey go hand in hand,\u201d Glazer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>State remains \u2018focused on investments\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential is, \u201ccommitted to expanding access to affordable education so more Michiganders can earn degrees or credentials that help them succeed and support their families,\u201d said spokesperson Aundreana Jones-Poole.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michigan is experiencing progress statewide with state-funded programs such as Michigan Reconnect, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and the Community College Guarantee, Jones-Poole added, with increasing enrollment at colleges and universities and growth in associate and bachelor\u2019s degree attainment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She noted that recent data shows that the five-year-old Michigan Reconnect has helped boost adult enrollment at Michigan community colleges by 38%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cThat progress reflects the impact of sustained investment and continues to move Michigan toward its Sixty by 30 goal,\u201d Jones-Poole said. \u201c(The) report from the Lumina Foundation underscores the importance of continuing this work, and we remain focused on investments that help more Michiganders complete education and training that opens doors to real economic opportunity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michigan\u2019s 51.6% postsecondary attainment rate lags behind the national attainment rate of 54.8%, according to the report.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the state\u2019s 83 counties, only two have exceeded the state\u2019s goal: Washtenaw and Oakland counties, with 66.7% and 62.1% of residents having a postsecondary credential, respectively. The lowest postsecondary attainment rates were in Lake, Clare and Montcalm counties with 18.4%, 23.5% and 24.8%, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like other states, the report showed that Michigan grapples with a gap in educational attainment between white residents and underrepresented minority groups: 47% of white residents have earned an associate degree or higher compared to 29% of Black residents, 33% of Hispanic residents and 27% of American Indian and Alaska Native residents. Of the state\u2019s Asian and Pacific Islander residents, 73% have a degree. The report\u2019s educational attainment for race and ethnicity does not include short-term credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Earnings potential<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting with 2024, Lumina is also tracking \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/strongernation.luminafoundation.org\/credentials-of-value\/usa\">credentials of value<\/a>,\u201d meaning the percentage of people in the labor force with postsecondary degrees and certificates who earn at least 15% more than the national median wage of someone with only a high school education, which was $45,884 in 2024.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/strongernation.luminafoundation.org\/credentials-of-value\/michigan\">Michigan\u2019s \u201ccredentials of value\u201d rate was 41.1%<\/a> in 2024, compared to a national rate of 43.6%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new metric is aimed at evolving the conversation about the value of earning a credential and also for policymakers to assess which credentials are paying off for residents in their state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s no longer just about whether somebody has a credential,\u201d said Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning of the Lumina Foundation. \u201cIt\u2019s whether they are economically better off with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lumina Foundation has set a goal that 75% of adults in the U.S. labor force will have college degrees or other credentials of value by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new metric placed Michigan 32nd nationally among 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glazer said Michigan\u2019s next governor should prioritize credentials that have more value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown said educational attainment and valuable credentials are tied together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOverall, (Michigan\u2019s) credentials are paying off at the same or more than the national average,\u201d Brown said. \u201cYet (Michigan) is falling under the national average in certificates of value because the state\u2019s attainment numbers are lower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Education is cited as a top concern among readers who have participated in Bridge Listens, an unscientific, election-year survey of Michigan\u2019s top issues to shape election coverage. <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSdOHxDcujY5qm-2YMk3Th0nXHP0xQwdt4g013IFglK7gPMRKQ\/viewform\">Take our survey<\/a>: What issues matter most?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan\u2019s overall postsecondary educational attainment has grown since the state set a goal of 60% of residents having a credential by 2030. But the state\u2019s national ranking has fallen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1813,"featured_media":72418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-06T18:04:31Z","apple_news_api_id":"f56f276f-a7a1-4c0d-9f39-5c311591c725","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-09T23:09:16Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A9W8nb6ehTA2fOVwxFZHHJQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2454],"tags":[51,4328],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[4267],"class_list":["post-72417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-talent-education","tag-michigan-colleges-and-universities","tag-top-of-homepage","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls - Bridge Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls - Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michigan\u2019s overall postsecondary educational attainment has grown since the state set a goal of 60% of residents having a credential by 2030. But the state\u2019s national ranking has fallen.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BridgeMichigan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T18:04:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-12T14:10:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grad_022125_kk-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1594\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kim Kozlowski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kim Kozlowski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kim Kozlowski\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/25a5768e6d673bee9731a33f54c6530d\"},\"headline\":\"Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T18:04:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-12T14:10:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\"},\"wordCount\":988,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grad_022125_kk-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1594&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Michigan colleges and universities\",\"Top of Homepage\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Talent &amp; Education\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\",\"name\":\"Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls - Bridge Michigan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grad_022125_kk-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1594&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T18:04:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-12T14:10:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grad_022125_kk-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1594&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grad_022125_kk-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1594&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1594,\"caption\":\"In 2024, 51.6% of Michigan residents ages 25-64 held either a certificate, associate, bachelor\u2019s, graduate or professional degree, according to the Lumina Foundation. (Kathy Kieliszewski\/Bridge Michigan)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-residents-with-degrees-skills-certificates-rises-but-state-ranking-falls\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Michigan residents with degrees, skills certificates rises, but state ranking falls\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\",\"name\":\"Bridge Michigan\",\"description\":\"Michigan\u2019s nonpartisan, nonprofit news source\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bridge Michigan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo-500.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo-500.svg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":188,\"caption\":\"Bridge Michigan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BridgeMichigan\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/bridgemichigan\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bridge.michigan\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bridgemi.com\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@bridge.michigan\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/25a5768e6d673bee9731a33f54c6530d\",\"name\":\"Kim Kozlowski\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/206cbfda79c228123e7e98d80390ab19\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/kozlowski-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/kozlowski-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Kim Kozlowski\"},\"description\":\"Kim covers P-20 education for Bridge Michigan, focusing on issues that impact students and communities across the state. 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