What does increased college attainment mean for our city?

If recent data from CEOs for Cities is any indication, college attainment figures are critical to our economic future. The organization recently reported findings that tie the percentage of college graduates in a city to 58 percent of its economic success, as measured by per capita income. Today, only a quarter of our city’s residents have a degree from a four-year college.

Nationally, Memphis ranks 48 among 51 major metro areas in total number of residents with a college degree.

A one-percentage point increase in local college attainment would produce approximately 8,000 additional college graduates. Based on the CEOs for Cities data, this increase would account for annual economic impact of $1 billion in the metro area, helping make Memphis more attractive for potential companies and creating more stable economic picture for our city.