Young Portlanders Far More Educated than Before But Still Lag Far Behind San Francisco and Seattle

Majority of young adults in the city now have four-year college degrees.

(Nashco)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The percentage of Portlanders aged 25 to 34 who have a college degree has risen sharply since the turn of the century, jumping from 39 percent to 54 percent.

That's a 38 percentage point increase and a reason to be optimistic about the city's longterm outlook. The figures, released yesterday by the Oregon Employment Department, show that Portland now ranks eighth among the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of educational attainment.

The bad news—we're still way behind the leaders. The top three are San Francisco (74%), Washington DC (71%), and Seattle (70%).

Here's how Portland's percentage of graduates has changed over time.

Oregon Employment Department

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Oregon Employment Department

Nigel Jaquiss

Nigel Jaquiss

Reporter Nigel Jaquiss joined the Oregon Journalism project in 2025 after 27 years at Willamette Week.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

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