The Michigan Works! Southwest Region has a Slightly Lower Share of Residents with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher than the State

According to state data, higher levels of educational attainment are linked with greater median annual wages. This article examines educational attainment in the Michigan Works! Southwest Area (which covers Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph counties) using 2023 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey.

In 2023, there was a slightly smaller share of the population age 25 or older that had a bachelor’s degree or higher (30.4 percent) within Southwest Michigan compared to the state (31.8 percent). The region also had a slight overrepresentation of those with a high school diploma or equivalent (29.3 percent) compared to Michigan (28.2 percent).

In Michigan Works! Southwest and Michigan, females tended to have a greater share with some college or an associate degree or higher compared to males. Regionally, 65.3 percent of females had some college or an associate degree or higher compared to 59.7 percent for males. These shares measured 65.7 percent and 61.6 percent, respectively, statewide.

Across Michigan, the Asian population age 25 or older had the greatest share with a bachelor’s degree or higher at 64.6 percent. The white non-Hispanic population had the second greatest share at 33.1 percent. This trend held true in the Michigan Works! Southwest region, where the Asian population saw 56.1 percent of their population with a bachelor’s degree or higher. The white non-Hispanic population in the region followed at 31.7 percent.