The United States has more than 1.85 million unique credentials offered by more than 134,000 providers, with $2.34 trillion invested annually into education and workforce development, according to the “Counting Credentials” 2025 report from the nonprofit Credential Engine.
The new report offers a current picture of the U.S. credential landscape, including how the shift toward digital credentials makes people’s skills and capabilities more visible today than ever before.
Seven credential categories are included in the report: badges, certificates, micro-credentials, certifications, degrees, licenses and secondary school credentials. Badges (1.02 million), certificates (486,352) and degrees (264,099)comprise the three largest categories in the count.
Showing growth
There’s been growth since the last “Counting Credentials” report in 2022 in the number of credentials available and the number of entities issuing credentials, as well as the amount of money spent in the marketplace. In 2022, the credential count was about 1.08 million – 773,676 fewer credentials than counted for this 2025 report.
The biggest growth occurred in the number of badges offered. The 2022 report noted 430,272 badges counted, as opposed to the nearly 1.02 million in this latest report. The report explains that there is now a “much better accounting of badges, driven primarily by a higher response rate from the major badge platform providers.” There are 81,597 providers of badges.
Also, the number of certificates counted has increased by 155,522 since 2022. Certificates counted include certificates of course completion, academic certificates and apprenticeships.
Most of the increase came from the number of certificates of course completion, such as certificates for completing coding bootcamps. Those offerings jumped 78%, from 190,802 in the 2022 count to 339,405 in 2025. According to the report, that increase is “due to an increasing number of online learning courses offered on an increasing number of platforms.”
There was a small increase in the number of academic certificates – those offered by a postsecondary education institution – from 112,195 in 2022 to 116,652 in the 2025 count. That increase only occurred with academic certificates eligible at institutions eligible for Title IV funding. There was a decrease in academic certificates offered at non-Title IV institutions, or certificates that don’t meet Title IV eligibility requirements.
The number of apprenticeship certificates of completion offered also increased by a small amount from 2022 to 2025 (27,833 to 30,295). This growth occurred with both registered and unregistered apprenticeship programs.
As of the 2025 count, there are 35,230 certificate providers.
The number of degrees increased by a smaller amount (from 238,271 to 264,099). Of note, there was a decrease in the number of degrees not eligible for Title IV funds from U.S. institutions (4,541 in 2022 to 3,249 in 2025).
The number of microcredentials and occupational licenses also increased. But certifications (those offered by an industry or professional association or technology provider) and secondary school credentials decreased slightly in count. The number of certifications, for example, went from 7,051 in the 2022 count to 6,892 in 2025.
The value of digital credentials
“Counting Credentials 2025” also makes a case for the importance of digital credentials.
“Skills needed in today’s labor market are rapidly changing, and the 1.85 million credentials — and the skills they represent — identified in this report are a competitive advantage for the U.S.,” Credential Engine CEO Scott Cheney said in a press release. “With increased movement toward digital credentials, there is tremendous opportunity to make people’s skills and capabilities visible and verifiable in ways that can connect talent to opportunity at scale.”
Echoing that was Barbara Gellman-Danley, CEO of the Higher Learning Commission and Credential Engine board president: “Credentials are only powerful as long as the systems that recognize them see and value their worth. Digital credentials in particular can open up new opportunities and provide agency for workers and learners on every step of their career journey.”
