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Colorado is number one nationally, tied with Massachusetts, for its percentage of residents who have a credential or degree beyond high school.

Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said the state's ranking in the latest Lumina Foundation Stronger Nation report is largely due to an ecosystem of partnerships, which connect colleges and trade schools with workforce development agencies and companies looking for skilled workers.

"We learn from the business community what their needs are and then we try to match those with as many short-term credentials as we can," Paccione explained. "Then build those into stackable credentials so that students can earn and learn."

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Lumina would like to see at least 60 percent of Americans 25 and older attain some education beyond high school. In 2023, 63 percent of Coloradans had a professionally recognized credential or college degree. The national average is nearly 55 percent. Nearly 75 percent of all jobs in Colorado, and 95 percent of top-earning jobs, require a credential or degree.

Paccione noted research has consistently shown significant long-term financial, social and health benefits of postsecondary education.

"As you increase your educational attainment, you not only increase your income, you're able to save up to have a down payment on a house," Paccione outlined. "Then there are these other social benefits. You're more engaged in civic responsibility and you're healthier."

Paccione stressed the goal is to ensure credentials and degrees are valued by the marketplace and increase the earning potential for all Coloradans. She pointed to the state's Promise Programs, which remove cost as a barrier for people whose families earn $90,000 a year or less.

"If your income level is that threshold and below, you can go tuition and fees free to any public institution in Colorado," Paccione underscored. "We're trying to eliminate any of the obstacles in the way of students attaining a credential of value, so that they can get a job that they want."