College achievement levels rise significantly on MS Coast, new Census data shows

The share of Mississippi Coast adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher has soared across the three coastal counties in recent years, according to new estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The data, released Thursday, shows each coastal county’s percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree is rising faster than the national rate across other metropolitan areas. It also shows higher education attainment is increasing across the state.

In Harrison County, the share of residents 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree rose by almost 5 percentage points. It increased from 23 percent in the period between 2015 and 2019 to 27.5 percent between 2020 and 2024.

Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician, called similar gains on the national level “a significant increase.”

The Coast’s largest increase was in Jackson County, where the portion of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher rose from 21 to almost 27 percent.

Hancock County also saw large gains: Its percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree rose from 22 percent to almost 27 percent.

Mississippi often ranks poorly on measures of educational attainment, and the Coast still lags behind national figures. Still, leaders say Mississippi’s efforts to encourage residents to attend college may be working. The state’s share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 22 percent between 2015 and 2019 to about 25 percent between 2020 and 2024.

Several factors could be driving the shift. Some young people are becoming more aware that degrees offer a path to high-paying jobs that will secure them through retirement, said Jean Massey, who leads an initiative called Ascent to 55% that aims to help more Mississippi students attain post-secondary education.

She said many of the state’s growing industries, including the Coast’s blue economy, also require some form of post-secondary schooling. And the expansion of online programs may also be increasing opportunities for working students and parents.

“I don’t know that there’s one thing that you can say that’s driving it,” Massey said. But, she added, “if we’re going to change Mississippi’s economy and perception and move our state forward, it’s going to be through education.”

Changes in an area’s population can also contribute to shifts in data estimates, according to the Census Bureau. Data also shows a rising population across the Mississippi Coast in recent years has been largely driven by retirees and out-of-state newcomers.