By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
MANATTAN — Manhattanites have been hitting the books. More than half of the borough's residents 25 and older have a college degree, according to new Census data.
Nearly 58 percent of New York County residents had attained at least a Bachelor's degree according to a 2005 to 2009 survey period — a jump of more than 8 percent over the 2000 Census. The numbers were also nearly twice the national average of 27.5 percent.
Manhattan also boasted more college-grads than the other boroughs; more than a quarter of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island residents hold degrees and just 17 percent of people who live in the Bronx.
Staten Island boasted the highest percentage of high school grads with more than 87 percent of the 25-and-up population. Manhattan was second highest with 84.9 percent, just slightly higher than the national average of 84.6.
College and high school graduate rates across the city rose from the numbers in the 2000 Census.
Census data also showed the median household income rose slightly in Manhattan from $60,531 in 2000 to $66,818, according to the most recent numbers from 2005 to 2009.
Both the number of foreign born residents (-1.9 percent) and residents who speak Spanish at home (-3 percent) dropped in Manhattan, according to the data.
