About this Indicator
This indicator shows the percentage of college graduates employed anywhere in the United States 1, 5, and 10 years after completing a postsecondary credential. It includes graduates of certificate, associate degree, and bachelor's degree programs, regardless of whether they were in-state or out-of-state residents at the time of initial enrollment. Employment status is determined using quarterly earnings reported in state unemployment insurance (UI) wage records. To be considered employed, an individual must have positive earnings during the measured time period, reflecting active participation in the workforce. However, the indicator does not capture all forms of employment due to the nature of state UI systems. Individuals who are self-employed, independent contractors, federal employees, elected officials, or others not covered by state UI systems are excluded because their earnings are not reported in these records. College graduates who were attending graduate school without an assistantship or other form of employment were categorized as unemployed.
Long-term employment indicators partly reflect the extent to which graduates are equipped with workforce-relevant and transferable skills, as well as their ability to adapt in an evolving job market. This indicator can also be used alongside related measures – such as earnings, opportunities to apply learned skills, and the relevance of a graduate’s level of education or major to their employment – to provide a more complete perspective on workforce outcomes and the degree of alignment between higher education and state labor markets.
Data Source
U.S. Census Bureau. Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) public-use data.
Note. Cohort years represent the range of years in which individuals completed their postsecondary credential. For example, the 2013-2015 cohort includes college graduates from 2013, 2014, and 2015. Ten-year retention outcomes are only available for graduates from 2006 to 2010.
Participation in the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data collection is voluntary, and the scope and comprehensiveness of the data currently varies significantly across states. Some states such as Minnesota provide data that include graduates from most higher education institutions and across all credential types, while others such as South Dakota contribute data from a subset of institutions or credentials. Consequently, comparisons between states should account for differences in data representation. The Midwest percentages currently reflect graduates from participating public and private institutions in 9 of the 12 Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The list below shows the participating data partners and the percentage of graduates represented in each state. The percentage of graduates represented is based on the number of graduates in the 2015 PSEO data year relative to all public and private graduates from 2015 IPEDS Completions Data.
Data Partners and Graduate Coverage by State (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025)
- Illinois (Illinois Board of Higher Education; Illinois Community College Board) - 69%
- Indiana (Indiana Commission for Higher Education) - 77%
- Iowa (Iowa Board of Regents; Iowa Department of Education) - 66%
- Kansas (No Participating Institutions)
- Michigan (Institute for Research on Innovation and Science—University of Michigan - Ann Arbor) - 10%
- Minnesota (Minnesota Office of Higher Education) - 95% (Estimate provided by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.)
- Missouri (Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development) - 50%
- Nebraska (No Participating Institutions)
- North Dakota (No Participating Institutions)
- Ohio (Ohio Department of Higher Education) - 61%