2007 Maine Marks
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Why This is Important

The level of educational attainment of Maine citizens is critically important to the State’s quality of life and economic well-being. The long-term economic competitiveness of Maine is directly linked to the skill and education level of its workforce.

Where We Stand

In 2006, an estimated 56% of Maine people over the age of 25 had at least a Bachelor’s Degree, compared with a national rate of 64%. Maine’s percentage has been fairly static since 2000, and Maine has continued to lag behind the national rate. Maine also has consistently ranked last among the six New England states on this measure since 1996.

Data Source and Context

Data is taken from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Measuring Up 2004. This source consists of a national report card for higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post-secondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2004 is the third in a series of biennial report cards. In this report card, "higher education" refers to all education and training beyond high school, including all public and private, two- and four-year, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. For more information, see the website at: http://measuringup.highereducation.org