Employment status of recent associate degree recipients and college graduates

Of the 352,000 people 20 to 29 years old who completed an associate degree between January and October 2024, 78.1 percent were employed in October 2024. Among these recent graduates, 79.8 percent of men and 76.8 percent of women were employed.

Recent associate degree recipients ages 20 to 29 were twice as likely to have completed an academic program than a vocational program. Associate degrees in academic programs are primarily in the arts and sciences and are often transferable to a bachelor's degree program, while associate degrees in vocational programs prepare graduates for a specific occupation. In October 2024, 42.3 percent of recent associate degree recipients were enrolled in school. Of these 149,000 recent recipients who were enrolled in school, 71.0 percent were employed. By contrast, 83.3 percent of the 202,000 recent associate degree recipients who were not enrolled in school were employed.

Between January and October 2024, 1.2 million people in their twenties earned a bachelor’s degree; of these, 69.6 percent were employed in October 2024. Among these recent degree recipients, 66.7 percent of men were employed, compared with 71.5 percent of women. In October 2024, 25.2 percent of these recent graduates were enrolled in school. These recent graduates who were enrolled in school were less likely to be employed than those who were not enrolled (46.1 percent versus 77.5 percent).

Between January and October 2024, 405,000 people ages 20 to 29 earned an advanced degree — that is, a master's, professional, or doctoral degree. Among these recent graduates, 74.7 percent were employed in October 2024. This ratio was 71.4 percent for men and 76.4 percent for women.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see "College Enrollment and Work Activity of Recent High School and College Graduates — 2024."