Young adults in the Pacific Northwest are becoming less likely to hold college degrees, according to a federal report, released Thursday morning.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education shows that across the country, the share of 25 to 34 year-olds with college degrees crept up from 2009 to 2010. But that’s not the story in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Washington had the highest college-completion rate in the Northwest – at 41.6 percent in 2009. But in 2010, it fell below 41 percent.
Idaho’s fell from above 33 percent to just below that over the two-year period.
Oregon’s rate remained basically flat, at just below the national average of about 39 percent.
In a written statement, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan blamed the “combination of deep state budget cuts and rising tuition prices” for making a college education harder to achieve.
