Postsecondary Degrees and Credentials
In 2023, 56.6% of Maine adults had a degree or credential of value, up 1.5 percentage points.
No significant movement since the last available data
Benchmark: By 2025, 60% of Maine adults will have a degree or non-degree credential of value.
Overview
In 2023, an estimated 56.6% of Maine adults ages 25-64 held an associate, bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree, or a credential of value, up from 55.1% in 2022. Most of the recent growth was in bachelor’s degrees.
Maine has made significant progress in postsecondary attainment, with the share of adults holding a credential of value rising 6.1 percentage points since 2018. The Council supports Maine’s statutory goal of 60% of adults holding a degree or credential by 2025 – a goal promoted by MaineSpark, a coalition of education institutions, nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and businesses.
This metric recognizes the growing importance of credential career paths, including professional certifications, licenses, digital badges, and military service. The Lumina Foundation reports that in 2023, 7.3% of Maine adults ages 25-64 who lacked postsecondary degrees held one of these occupational credentials. That is above the New England average of 5.9% and below the national average of 7.8%.
Fig. A
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Adult Ages 25-64 Degree Attainment Rates, 2023
Source: Lumina Foundation