That statistic only reflects students who graduated and doesn't support your claim that "most Americans do not go to college". It appears that claim is wrong:

That statistic only reflects students who graduated and doesn't support your claim that "most Americans do not go to college". It appears that claim is wrong: "In October 2018, 69% of 16- to 24-year-olds who graduated high school in 2018 were enrolled, with 9 out of 10 reporting they were full-time students – a marginal increase over 2017 high school graduates, 67% of whom were enrolled in college or university. Over the last decade, that figure has fluctuated between 66% and 70%." https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-04-25/college-enrollment-stays-flat-at-69-continuing-a-decade-long-trend https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-04-... It is probably worth recognizing that for students who go to college for the experience there is little incentive to graduate.