New research from Tennessee’s USA Today Network and Vanderbilt University shows college attainment rates for most zip codes in northwest Tennessee at around 20%.
The study looked at the percentage of people in each Tennessee ZIP code who have completed an associate’s degree or higher.
In the northwest region, the numbers rise around population centers like the City of Martin in Weakley County where the rate is 25%. The lowest are in rural communities like Cottage Grove in Henry County, which has a 13% college attainment rate. The eastern half of Clarksville has the highest rate in the region at 40%.
The Tennessean reports that Tennessee is sending grant funding and staff into 19 ‘distressed’ counties in an effort to send more people to college. Lake County is listed as a ‘distressed’ area, while Obion, Weakley and Stewart counties are labeled ‘at risk.’
The rest of Tennessee falls between 20 to 30% on average. The highest rates can be found close to Nashville-- with Brentwood at nearly 79%. Some of the lower rates of around 5% are in Briceville in eastern Tennessee and 7% in northeast Memphis.
