Live Updates Arizona Admits Failings in Murder of Professor, Faces Suit

SEO Headline (Max 60 characters)

3 Million Americans Live in Higher Education Deserts

By

Paul Fain
February 2, 2018

Roughly three million Americans live more than 25 miles from a broad-access public college and do not have the sort of high-speed internet connection necessary for online college programs, according to a new report from the Urban Institute's education policy program.

The institute used data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission to identify these education "deserts," cross-referencing that information with data from the Census Bureau to determine who lives in them. The report found that 17.6 million adults live in a physical higher education desert, with 3.1 million (1.3 percent of adults in the U.S.) lacking access to online and physical college programs.

The report also tracked the demographics of people who live in education deserts.Bar chart: Share of adults living in each type of education desert, by race or ethnicity. Chart breaks down whether adults live in a complete education desert, physical education desert, online education desert, or no education desert. For Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, more than 80 percent were not in an education desert, and the largest percentage were in a physical education desert. For Asians, more than 90 percent were not in an education desert, and the largest percentage were in a physical education desert. For American Indians or Alaska Natives, more than 60 percent were not in an education desert. About 5 percent were in an online education desert, about 20 percent were in a physical education desert and about 12 percent were in a complete education desert. For Hispanics, about 85 percent were not in an education desert, and the largest percentage were in a physical education desert, with about 3 percent in a complete education desert. For black respondents, about 88 percent were not in an education desert, and the largest percentage were in a physical education desert, with about 3 percent in a complete education desert. For white respondents, about 80 percent were not in an education desert, and the largest percentage were in a physical education desert, with about 4 percent in a complete education desert.

"This study demonstrates what many Native Americans, rural Americans and other Americans living in education deserts already know: the internet has not untethered all of us from our geographic locations," said the report. "As long as broadband access depends on geography, place still plays an important role in access to higher education."Map of the United States is color coded to show areas that are not education deserts, physical education deserts, online education deserts, and complete education deserts, with large swaths of Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Maine, Nevada, Texas, and Utah designated physical education deserts.

Share Article

Paul Fain

Inside Higher Ed Careers

Hiring? Post A Job Today!

 

Browse Faculty Jobs

Trending Stories

THE Campus

Resources for faculty and staff from our partners at Times Higher Education.

You may also be interested in...

Today’s News from Inside Higher Ed

Chart showing the increase in graduate student workers from 2002 to 2021.
Documenting the Growing Role
of Contingent Faculty
Seven people sitting around a rectangular table, seen from overhead.
Repairing Campus Dialogue
Job résumé document out from laptop - stock illustration
As Microcredentials Boom, Employers’ Hiring Platforms Fumble

Inside Higher Ed’s Quick Takes

GW Review Exonerates Professor Accused of Antisemitism

Divided Appeals Court Allows Suit Seeking COVID Tuition Relief

Campuses Face Steep Shortfall in Deferred Capital Renewal

Rates for Low-Income Students Up More Than for High Income

Unknown Pictures and Stories of the Holocaust: Academic Minute

Goddard Staff Go on Strike

Back to Top