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Participation in adult education has grown steadily over the past three decades, increasing to 46 per cent in 1999. People engage in adult education to acquire the knowledge, information, and skills necessary to succeed in the workforce, learn basic skills, earn credentials, or otherwise enrich their lives. This brief report puts this phenomenon in context, comparing the numbers of adult education participants in 1991 and 1999 with people enrolled in institutions of higher education at the same points in time. In 1991, an estimated 58 million adults in the United States of America (USA) had participated in adult education activities, including part-time credential programs, in the preceding 12 months. By 1999, this number had grown to an estimated 90 million adults. By comparison, there were an estimated 14 million persons enrolled in US institutions of higher education in 1991, and projections indicate that this enrolment will increase to 15 million in 1999. The research results indicate that adult education participation is increasing in American society.