The number of Oregonians with a four-year college degree rose rapidly in the last decade and hit an all-time high last year, topping 1.1 million, according to new census data.

That’s nearly 38% of all the state’s residents over the age of 25, slightly ahead of the national share and 9 percentage points higher than in 2010. In Portland, 55% of residents are college grads.

More college diplomas mean higher incomes and economic security for the state’s graduates.

Big divides in education levels remain, however, among racial and ethnic groups — and a striking new gender divide has emerged.

Back in 2010, a roughly equal share of Oregon men and women had college degrees — about 29% among those over 25. There has been little change in the share of men who graduated from college since then.

Oregon women, meanwhile, stayed in school. Forty-four percent have college degrees today, driving nearly all the state’s increase in college diplomas.

About 30% of Black Oregonians over 25 have a college degree, 8 points lower than the statewide rate. Fewer than a fifth of Hispanic residents have a college degree.

Many rural parts of the state have relatively low shares of college graduates, too. Just 20% of Klamath County residents graduated from a four-year college, for example, and just 18% in Umatilla County.

A college degree comes with considerably higher pay.

Median annual earnings for an Oregonian with a bachelor’s degree were $67,000. That compares to $39,000 a year for someone with just a high school diploma, and a little less than $34,000 for someone who didn’t finish high school.

One of the hot-button issues during this fall’s presidential campaign was concern about a lack of economic opportunity for those without college degrees. College has only grown more expensive, and it remains out of reach for many.

The earnings gap between Oregonians with and without college degrees has closed a bit since 2010, but only a bit. In Oregon, those who haven’t graduated from high school earn a median wage that’s just half of what college grads make.