educational attainment united states report
TRANSCRIPT
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U.S. Department o CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Issued February 2012
P20-566
Current
Population
Reports
By
Camille L. Ryan
and
Julie Siebens
Educational Attainment in the
United States: 2009Population Characteristics
This report provides a portrait o
educational attainment in the United
States based on data collected in the
2009 American Community Survey (ACS)
and the 20052009 ACS 5-year estimates.
It also uses data rom the Annual Social
and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to
the Current Population Survey (CPS)
collected in 2009 and earlier, as well as
monthly data rom the CPS. Prior to 2007,
U.S. Census Bureau reports on educa-
tional attainment were based on data
primarily rom the CPS.1 The ACS is now
used as the main source o educational
attainment data because it has a larger
sample and provides more reliable statis-
tics or small levels o geography.
The report also provides estimates o
educational attainment in the United
States, including comparisons by demo-
graphic characteristics such as age, sex,
race, and Hispanic origin. Inormation
about educational attainment among thenative-born and oreign-born populations
is included. This report also presents a
geographic picture o educational attain-
ment with estimates by region and state.
Workers median earnings by educational
attainment are also addressed, including
dierences by sex, race, and Hispanic
origin, as well as unemployment rates by
educational attainment. Historical data
are included to present some general
trends over time.
1 For inormation on the dierencesbetween the ACS and CPS estimates, seeComparison o ACS and ASEC Data on EducationalAttainment: 2004, Washington, DC, U.S. CensusBureau, 2007, and accompanying tables andgures, available on the Census Bureaus Website at .
HIGHLIGHTS
In 2009, more than 4 out o 5 (85 per-
cent) adults aged 25 and over reported
having at least a high school diploma
or its equivalent, while over 1 in 4 (28
percent) reported a bachelors degree
or higher. This relects more than a
three-old increase in high school
attainment and more than a ive-old
increase in college attainment since
the Census Bureau irst collected edu-cational attainment data in 1940.2
A larger proportion o women than
men had completed high school or
more education.3 A larger propor-
tion o men had received at least a
bachelors degree. However, because
women 25 years old and over outnum-
ber men aged 25 and over, the number
o women with bachelors degrees is
larger than the number o men with
these degrees. Among people aged
25 to 34, the percentage o womenwith a bachelors degree or higher was
35 percent compared with 27 percent
o men.
Dierences in educational attain-
ment by race and Hispanic origin
existed. Attainment or non-Hispanic
2 The decennial census has collected educationalattainment data since 1940.
3 High school or more education reers tocompleting a high school diploma, GED or alternativecredential, or higher degree.
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Whites and Asians was higher
than attainment or Blacks and
Hispanics.4
4 Federal surveys now give respon-dents the option o reporting more thanone race. Thereore, two basic ways odening a race group are possible. A groupsuch as Asian may be dened as thosewho reported Asian and no other race (therace-alone or single-race concept) or asthose who reported Asian regardless owhether they also reported another race (therace-alone-or-in-combination concept). Thisreport shows data using the rst approach(race alone). This report will reer to theWhite-alone population as White, the Black-alone population as Black, the Asian-alonepopulation as Asian, and the White-alone-non-Hispanic population as non-HispanicWhite. Use o the single-race population doesnot imply that it is the preerred method opresenting or analyzing data. The CensusBureau uses a variety o approaches. Inthis report, the term non-Hispanic Whitereers to people who are not Hispanic andwho reported White and no other race. TheCensus Bureau uses non-Hispanic Whites asthe comparison group or other race groupsand Hispanics. Because Hispanics may be anyrace, data in this report or Hispanics overlapwith data or racial groups.
Educational attainment varied
by nativity. About 89 percent
o the native-born population
had completed at least high
school, compared with 68 per-
cent o the oreign-born popu-
lation. More native-born than
oreign-born adults reported
completing at least a bachelors
degree (28 percent and 27 per-
cent, respectively).
Educational attainment o
oreign-born Hispanics was
lower than all other groups.
The percentage o oreign-
born Hispanics who had com-
pleted at least high school was
48 percent.
The Midwest had the highest
percentage o adults report-ing that they completed high
school or more education, and
the Northeast had the highest
percentage with a bachelors
degree or more education.5
Among all workers, those with
a bachelors degree on average
earned about $20,000 more
per year than workers with a
high school diploma or a General
Educational Development (GED)certiicate. Non-Hispanic Whites
earned more than other race
5 The Northeast region includes thestates o Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.The Midwest region includes the states oIllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. TheSouth region includes the states oAlabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, WestVirginia, and the District o Columbia, a stateequivalent. The West region includes thestates o Alaska, Arizona, Caliornia,Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington,and Wyoming.
TWO SOURCES OF DATA
The inormation in this report is based on two separate data sources: the estimates o current educational
attainment come rom the 2009 and the 20052009 5-Year Estimates rom the American Community Survey
(ACS), while historical data about educational attainment is rom the Annual Social and Economic Supplement
(ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). Unemployment data are rom the monthly CPS.
The ACS, part o the Census Bureaus re-engineered 2010 Census, looks at a wide range o social, economic,and housing characteristics or the population. The ACS collects inormation rom an annual sample o
approximately 3 million housing unit addresses. The ACS is administered to the entire domestic population,
including those living in group quarters. In this respect, data rom the ACS are generally comparable with
data rom Census 2000 and earlier decennial censuses. In the ACS, educational attainment is classiied by
the highest degree or the highest level o schooling completed, with people currently enrolled in school
requested to report the level o the previous grade attended or the highest degree received.
Another important source o educational attainment inormation is the ASEC to the CPS. The CPS is a monthly
survey with a sample o approximately 72,000 housing units. ASEC data are collected rom CPS respondents
in February, March, and April o each year with an annual sample o approximately 100,000 households. Unlike
the ACS, the universe is the civilian noninstitutionalized population, and thereore does not include people living
in institutions or Armed Forces personnel (except those living with their amilies). While the sample size is not
suicient or describing small geographic areas, CPS data can provide estimates or the 50 states and the Districto Columbia. CPS data also provide a time series o educational attainment inormation since 1947. Since 1992,
data on educational attainment are derived rom a single question that asks, What is the highest grade o school
. . . completed, or the highest degree . . . received? Prior to 1992, respondents reported the highest grade they
had attended, and whether or not they had completed that grade.
The ACS and the CPS dier in geographic scope, data collection methods, and population universe. For more
inormation on these two sources o data, see the previous report, Educational Attainment in the United States:
2007, Appendix A.
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U.S. Census Bureau 3
groups and more than Hispanics
at the high school level, while
earnings at the bachelors and
advanced degree level were
highest or Asians. Black and
Hispanic workers earned less at
nearly all attainment levels.6
Men earned more than women
at each level o educational
attainment.
6 Among all workers, the median earningsor blacks with a high school diploma werenot statistically dierent than the earningsor Asians with a high school diploma. Also,the median earnings or Hispanics with a GEDwere not statistically dierent than the earn-ings or non-Hispanic Whites with a GED.
PORTRAIT OFEDUCATIONALATTAINMENT IN THEUNITED STATES
Historical Trends in EducationUsing Data From CPS and theDecennial Census
This section uses data rom the CPS
and the decennial census. The CPS
and the census are better sources
o data to provide a historicalpicture o educational attainment
because the census has collected
educational attainment since 1940
and CPS since 1947. The Census
Bureau has documented an increase
in the educational attainment o the
population since the question was
irst asked in the 1940s.7
Figure 1 plots educational attain-
ment or the population aged 25
and over rom 1940 to 2009 using
data rom the CPS or 1947 to 2009
and census or years prior to 1947.
This percentage is shown or two
levels o education: completing
high school (regular high school
diploma or GED) or higher, andcompleting a bachelors degree or
higher. In 1940, one-ourth o the
population aged 25 and over had
7 See Educational Attainment inthe United States: 2007 (P20-560),available on the Census BureausWeb site at .
Figure 1.
Percentage of the Population 25 Years and Over Who Have CompletedHigh School or College: Selected Years 19402009
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey and decennial censuses.
Percent
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
25 to 29 years old,bachelor's degree or more
25 years old and over,bachelor's degree or more
25 to 29 years old,high school or more
25 years old and over,high school or more
200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995199419931992199119901989198819871986198519841983198219811980197919781977197619751974197319721971197019691968196719661965196419631962196119601959195819571956195519541953195219511950194919481947194619451944194319421941194020092000199019801970196019501940
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completed high school. By 1967,
over 50 percent o this population
had reached this level. This per-
centage continued to increase to
75 percent by 1986 and reached 87
percent in 2009.8
The percentage o the population
aged 25 and over with a bachelorsdegree or higher also increased
steadily rom 1940 to 2009. In
1940, 5 percent o the popula-
tion aged 25 and older held at
least a bachelors degree or higher.
By 2009, this percentage had
increased more than ive-old to
30 percent.9
In 1947, 51 percent o the popula-
tion 25 to 29 years old had com-
pleted high school compared to
33 percent o the total population25 years old and over. However,
over time, the rates o educational
attainment have converged. By
2009, the proportion o those who
had completed high school was
89 percent or the 25 to 29 year
old population and 87 percent or
those aged 25 and over.
During the 20 years rom 1975
to 1994, the proportion o 25- to
29-year-olds who had completed
a bachelors degree or higher
stayed within the range o 21 to
24 percent. Since then, the rate or
this age group has climbed to 31
percent. The rate o college com-
pletion or the population 25 years
and over grew rom 11 percent in
1970 to 30 percent in 2009.
A Current Picture ofEducational Attainment UsingACS Data
The ollowing sections use data
rom the ACS. The ACS is used
8 Estimates rom ACS vary rom CPS inthis report due to actors such as dierencesin the population eligible or interview ineach survey and other dierences in surveymethodology. See also the text box includedin this report.
9 ibid.
instead o the CPS because ACS has
a larger sample size and provides
reliable estimates or population
subgroups and smaller levels o
geography. Estimates rom ACS
vary rom CPS due to actors such
as dierences in the population,
who is eligible or interview in each
survey, and other dierences in
survey methodology.10
In 2009, 85 percent o the popula-
tion aged 25 and over in the United
States reported they had completed
at least high school (receiving a
regular high school diploma or the
equivalent) (Table 1). More than 1
in 4 adults (28 percent) reported
they had a bachelors degree or
more education. In 2000, 80 per-
cent o the 25-and-older populationcompleted high school or more and
24 percent reported a bachelors
degree or more education.11
The most common levels o edu-
cational attainment among the
adult population were high school
completion with a high school
diploma (25 percent), ollowed by
completion o a bachelors degree
(18 percent). Table 1 also shows
that 4 percent o the population 25
years old and over completed highschool by earning a GED or alterna-
tive credential. There was also a
substantial percentage o the popu-
lation who had completed school-
ing beyond high school but less
than a bachelors degree. Twenty-
one percent o the population 25
years old and over had completed
10 For inormation on the dierencesbetween the ACS and CPS estimates,see Comparison o ACS and ASECData on Educational Attainment: 2004,Washington, DC, U.S. Census Bureau,2007, and accompanying tables and gures,available on the Census Bureaus Web site at.
11 For more inormation on educationalattainment in 2000, see EducationalAttainment: 2000 (C2KBR-24), availableon the Census Bureaus Web site at.
some college. In addition, 8 percent
o the population had completed an
associates degree.
Differences by Age, Sex, Race,and Hispanic Origin
Age. Educational attainment varies
by several demographic character-
istics, including age. The overall
increase in educational attain-
ment documented over the past 6
decades occurred as younger (and
more educated) cohorts replaced
older, less educated cohorts in
the adult population. In 2009, the
group aged 65 and older reported
lower levels o high school and
college attainment than all younger
age groups. Among those aged 65
and over, 77 percent had com-
pleted high school or more educa-tion, and 20 percent reported a
bachelors degree or more educa-
tion (Table 1).
Sex. Gender dierences in educa-
tion continue to exist. In 2009, a
larger proportion o women than
men had completed high school
with a high school diploma, some
college, associates, and masters
degrees. On the other hand, a
higher proportion o men had
completed high school with a GED,
as well as bachelors, proessional,
and doctorate degrees.
Although women 25 years and
over were less likely than men
to have bachelors, proessional,
or doctorate degrees, they were
still ahead o men by some mea-
sures. Because there were more
women than men 25 years old
and over, the number o women
with a bachelors degree or higher(28.7 million) was greater than the
number o men with a bachelors
degree or higher (27.7 million).12
12 See Table B15002, Sex by EducationalAttainment or the Population 25 Years andOver: 2009, available on the Census BureausWeb site at .
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In addition, among people aged 25
to 34, the percentage o women
with a bachelors degree or higher
was 35 percent compared with 27
percent o men.13
Race and Hispanic Origin. Educa-
tional attainment also varied by
race and Hispanic origin. Non-Hispanic Whites reported the
highest percentage o adults with
at least a high school education
(90 percent). Asians reported the
highest percentage o those with
a bachelors, masters, proes-
sional, and doctorate degrees.
Blacks reported higher percentages
at each level o those with high
school diplomas and GEDs o all
race groups and Hispanics. Blacks
were also more likely to have com-pleted some college than any other
group. However, Blacks were less
likely to have completed bachelors,
masters, proessional, or doctor-
ate degrees than those who were
White alone, non-Hispanic Whites,
and Asians. Hispanics reported
the lowest percentages overall o
those with a high school diploma
or equivalent and above61 per-
cent had completed high school or
higher and 13 percent had com-
pleted at least a bachelors degree.
Diverse EducationalExperiences Among theForeign-Born Population
Educational attainment diered by
nativity status. About 20 percent-
age points separated the native
born (89 percent) and oreign born
(68 percent) aged 25 and older
who had completed high school
or more. Foreign-born residents
made up 35 percent o the popu-lation that had not completed
high school. At the bachelors and
advanced degree attainment levels,
13 See Subject Table S1501,Educational Attainment: 2009,available on the Census Bureaus Website at .
there was about a one percentage
point dierence between the native
born and the oreign born. A higher
percentage o native-born than
oreign-born adults reported com-
pleting at least a bachelors degree
(28 percent and 27 percent, respec-
tively), while more oreign-born
than native-born adults reported
having a proessional or doctorate
degree. These dierences suggest
that, while a large proportion o
the oreign-born population had
lower levels o education, a size-
able segment also had high levels
o education.
Since 2000, the percentage o the
population aged 25 and over with
a bachelors degree who are oreign
born has increased. The oreign-born population made up 14 per-
cent o the population aged 25 and
over with a bachelors degree, up
rom 13 percent in 2000. The num-
ber o oreign-born residents with
bachelors or higher degrees has
also increased by 49 percent since
2000.14 For some race groups and
Hispanics, there was little dier-
ence in educational attainment by
nativity, but or others there were
large dierences (Table 1). For all
groups except Blacks, a larger per-
centage o the native born than the
oreign born had completed at least
high school. The pattern diers
or college attainment, with higher
attainment among the oreign born
or the non-Hispanic White and
Black populations.
The lower educational attainment
o oreign-born Hispanics aected
the overall Hispanic education
levels. In 2009, about 57 percent
14 For inormation about nativityand educational attainment in 2000, seeTable 2L-01 available on the Census BureausWeb site at .Also see Table B06009, Place o Birth byEducational Attainment in the United States:2009, available on the Census Bureaus Website at .
o all Hispanics aged 25 and over
in the United States were oreign
born. Educational attainment o
oreign-born Hispanics was lower
than all other race, Hispanic origin,
and nativity groups. The percent-
age o oreign-born Hispanics who
completed at least high school was
48 percent. Although native-born
Hispanics had higher educational
attainment than oreign-born
Hispanics, all other native-born
race groups had higher educa-
tional attainment than native-born
Hispanics.15
GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCESIN EDUCATIONALATTAINMENT
Educational Attainment byCounty
Educational attainment varied
among states and counties. The
20052009 ACS 5-year dataset
is used or Figure 2 and Figure 3
because these data can be used
to show small geographies includ-
ing counties. Figure 2 shows the
geographic distribution o the
population aged 25 and over
whose educational attainment is
high school completion (e.g., a highschool diploma or a GED) or higher.
The highest concentration o high
school completion tended to be
located in counties in the West and
the Midwest. O the ten counties
with high school completion rates
over 95 percent, three counties
were located in Colorado (Hinsdale,
Douglas, and Routt) and three were
in Nebraska (Wheeler, Logan, and
Grant). The other our counties
were Los Alamos, New Mexico;
Hamilton, Indiana; Washington,
Minnesota; and Gallatin, Montana.
15 About 16 percent o the native-bornHispanic and the native-born Black popula-tions had completed a bachelors degree, butthe dierence was not statistically dierent.
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Table 1.
Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over by Age, Sex, Race and
Hispanic Origin, and Nativity Status: 2009
Characteristic
Totalpopulation
Total
population
Age
25 to 34
years
35 to 44
years
45 to 64
years
65 years
and over
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Total 201,952,383 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X)
No schooling completed 2,592,831 13 07 09 12 25
Nursery school to 8th grade 10,048,130 50 36 01 41 01 40 94 01
9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma 17,144,287 85 88 01 77 01 72 01 116 01
Regular high school diploma 49,640,860 246 01 202 01 221 01 249 01 310 01
GED or alternative credential 7,910,811 39 44 01 40 01 39 34
Some college, less than 1 year 12,841,366 64 62 01 59 01 68 01 61 01
Some college, 1 or more years, no degree 30,246,118 150 172 01 157 01 151 01 117 01
Associates degree 15,192,326 75 81 01 86 01 84 41
Bachelors degree 35,494,367 176 01 220 01 198 01 172 01 114 01
Masters degree 14,579,118 72 65 01 79 01 80 58 01
Proessional school degree 3,913,851 19 16 21 21 17
Doctorate degree 2,348,318 12 07 11 13 14
High school or more education
2
172,167,135 853 01 870 01 872 01 877 01 765 01Bachelors degree or more 56,335,654 279 01 309 02 309 01 286 01 202 01
Native Born
Total 169,428,254 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X)
No schooling completed 1,254,800 07 04 05 06 15
Nursery school to 8th grade 4,633,482 27 10 12 18 77 01
9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma 13,387,735 79 76 01 66 01 68 01 117 01
Regular high school diploma 43,130,828 255 01 201 01 228 01 259 01 324 01
GED or alternative credential 7,197,158 42 49 01 44 01 42 36
Some college, less than 1 year 11,810,629 70 69 01 67 01 74 01 65 01
Some college, 1 or more years, no degree 27,021,168 159 01 187 01 171 01 159 01 122 01
Associates degree 13,376,589 79 87 01 93 01 87 01 41
Bachelors degree 30,358,919 179 01 232 01 206 01 173 01 114 01
Masters degree 12,307,660 73 63 01 79 01 81 59 01
Proessional school degree 3,215,887 19 16 20 21 17
Doctorate degree 1,733,399 10 06 09 12 13
High school or more education2 150,152,237 886 910 01 917 01 908 01 792 01
Bachelors degree or more 47,615,865 281 01 317 02 314 02 287 01 203 01
Foreign Born
Total 32,524,129 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X)
No schooling completed 1,338,031 41 01 18 01 27 01 45 01 96 02
Nursery school to 8th grade 5,414,648 166 02 144 03 153 03 169 02 222 04
9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma 3,756,552 116 01 139 03 123 02 97 01 107 03
Regular high school diploma 6,510,032 200 01 210 03 196 02 193 02 208 03
GED or alternative credential 713,653 22 20 01 22 01 24 01 21 01
Some college, less than 1 year 1,030,737 32 01 31 01 30 01 34 01 30 01
Some college, 1 or more years, no degree 3,224,950 99 01 109 02 102 02 99 01 78 02
Associates degree 1,815,737 56 01 53 02 59 02 63 01 38 01
Bachelors degree 5,135,448 158 01 171 02 166 02 163 02 111 02
Masters degree 2,271,458 70 01 76 02 79 02 69 01 45 02
Proessional school degree 697,964 21 17 01 22 01 23 01 24 01
Doctorate degree 614,919 19 13 01 21 01 21 01 20 01
High school or more education2 22,014,898 677 02 699 04 697 03 689 02 575 04
Bachelors degree or more 8,719,789 268 01 276 03 289 03 276 03 200 03
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Table 1.
Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over by Age, Sex, Race and
Hispanic Origin, and Nativity Status: 2009Con.
Sex Race and Hispanic Origin
Characteristic
Male Female White aloneNon-Hispanic
White aloneBlack alone Asian alone
Hispanic
(o any race)
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
Per-cent
Margin
o
error1()
1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) Total
13 13 09 06 14 36 01 38 01 No schooling completed
52 48 42 24 41 01 50 01 197 02 Nursery school to 8th grade
90 01 80 74 66 131 01 60 01 156 02 9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma
241 01 250 01 250 01 253 01 272 02 148 02 224 02 Regular high school diploma
45 33 40 40 44 01 12 01 38 01 GED or alternative credential
60 67 67 70 60 01 29 01 45 01 Some college, less than 1 year
148 01 151 01 148 01 150 01 189 02 102 02 124 01 Some college, 1 or more years, no degree
67 83 78 80 73 01 66 01 53 01 Associates degree
176 01 175 01 185 01 195 01 115 01 294 03 87 01 Bachelors degree
68 76 76 81 47 01 130 02 27 01 Masters degree
24 15 21 22 08 39 01 09 Proessional school degree
15 08 12 13 05 33 01 04 Doctorate degree
845 01 859 01 875 01 904 01 814 02 853 02 609 02 High school or more education
2
284 01 274 01 293 01 311 01 176 02 497 03 126 01 Bachelors degree or more
Native Born
1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) Total
08 07 06 06 12 08 01 18 01 No schooling completed
28 26 25 22 38 01 14 01 70 01 Nursery school to 8th grade
83 01 75 69 66 136 01 29 03 136 02 9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma
250 01 259 01 254 01 255 01 277 02 131 05 238 02 Regular high school diploma
50 36 42 41 46 01 15 02 55 01 GED or alternative credential
66 73 71 71 63 01 40 03 68 01 Some college, less than 1 year
158 01 161 01 153 01 152 01 193 02 142 05 175 02 Some college, 1 or more years, no degree
71 86 01 80 80 70 01 80 04 75 01 Associates degree
181 01 177 01 191 01 195 01 108 01 349 06 114 02 Bachelors degree
67 78 78 80 45 01 110 04 37 01 Masters degree
25 14 21 21 07 63 03 09 Proessional school degree
13 07 11 12 05 18 02 04 Doctorate degree
880 01 892 01 900 01 906 01 814 02 949 03 775 02 High school or more education2
286 01 277 01 301 01 307 01 165 02 540 07 164 02 Bachelors degree or more
Foreign Born
1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) 1000 (X) Total
38 01 44 01 36 01 21 01 28 02 41 01 53 01 No schooling completed
172 02 161 02 191 02 63 02 69 03 57 01 293 03 Nursery school to 8th grade
121 02 110 01 123 02 65 02 91 04 66 02 171 02 9th grade to 12th grade, no diploma
197 02 204 02 215 02 217 03 232 05 151 03 213 03 Regular high school diploma
22 01 22 01 24 01 22 01 35 02 12 01 25 01 GED or alternative credential
29 01 34 01 34 01 42 01 42 02 26 01 28 01 Some college, less than 1 year
98 01 101 01 97 01 115 02 152 04 94 02 85 02 Some college, 1 or more years, no degree
48 01 63 01 54 01 74 02 94 04 64 01 36 01 Associates degree
150 02 166 01 130 02 206 03 166 05 284 03 66 01 Bachelors degree
75 01 65 01 58 01 106 02 65 03 134 02 19 01 Masters degree
24 01 19 01 21 01 34 01 16 01 35 01 09 Proessional school degree
25 01 13 18 01 36 01 10 01 36 01 04 Doctorate degree
668 02 686 02 650 03 852 02 813 04 835 02 483 03 High school or more education2
274 02 262 02 227 02 381 04 258 05 488 03 97 01 Bachelors degree or more
Represents or rounds to zero
(X) Not applicable 1 A margin o error is a measure o an estimates variability The larger the margin o error in relation to the size o the estimate, the less reliable the estimate
When added to and subtracted rom the estimate, the margin o error orms the 90 percent confdence interval
2 High school or more education reers to completing a high school diploma, GED or alternative credential, or higher degreeSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009
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8 U.S. Census Bureau
0
100Miles
0
20Miles
0
100Miles
Perce
ntagebycounty
oreq
uivalent
Source:U.S.
CensusBureau,
20052009A
mericanCommunitySurveyandPuertoRico
CommunitySurvey,
5-yearestimates.
Lessthan65.0
88.0ormore
82.0
to87.9
75.0
to81.9
65.0
to74.9
U.S.
percent
84.6
Note:Thevaluesforcountiessho
wnindifferent
classesmaynotbestatisticallydifferent.Astatistical
testisneededtomakesuchade
termination.
Figure2.
PercentageofPeople
25YearsandOverWhoHaveC
ompletedHighSchoolor
MoreEducation:20052009
(IncludesGED
recipients)
0
100Miles
-
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U.S. Census Bureau 9
0
100Miles
0
20Miles
0
100Miles
Perce
ntagebycounty
oreq
uivalent
Lessthan15.0
40.0ormore
30.0
to39.9
22.0
to29.9
15.0
to21.9
U.S.
percent
27.5
Note:Thevaluesforcountiesshow
nindifferent
classesmaynotbestatisticallydif
ferent.Astatistical
testisneededtomakesuchadetermination.
Figure3.
Percentageo
fPeople
25Yearsan
dOver
Who
HaveC
omp
lete
da
Bac
he
lor
sDegreeor
More:
2005
2009
0
100Miles
Source:U.S.
CensusBureau,
20052009A
mericanCommunitySurveyandPuertoRico
CommunitySurvey,
5-yearestimates.
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10 U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 3 shows the percentage
o the population aged 25 and
over whose educational attainment
is a bachelors degree or higher.
Metropolitan counties on the East
and West Coast had high percent-
ages o the college-educated
population. Counties with high
education ormed a band in the
Northeast rom Albemarle County,
Virginia, to Middlesex County,
Massachusetts. Other counties
that had high concentrations o the
population with a bachelors degree
or higher included part o the San
Francisco area, and King County,
Washington, containing the city
o Seattle.
There were only 17 counties
where more than hal o the popu-lation 25 years old and over held
a bachelors degree or higher. These
included suburban counties in the
Northeast and elsewhere, counties
with large universities or research
acilities, and resort counties in the
western states.
Educational Attainment byRegion and State
Table 2 ocuses on the proportion
o the population aged 25 and over
who were high school graduates
(including GED) or more or regions
and states. The percentage o the
population with at least a high
school diploma or GED was high-
est in the Midwest and lowest in
the South. At the bachelors degree
level or higher, the largest percent-
age was in the Northeast and the
smallest was in the South.
More than 90 percent o the
population completed high schoolor more in the ollowing states:
Alaska, Iowa, Montana, Minnesota,
New Hampshire, Vermont, and
Wyoming.16 This contrasts to
Mississippi and Texas, where
16 The percentage o the population whowere high school graduates or more in Utahwas 90.4 percent. However, this estimate wasalso statistically dierent than 90 percent.
80 percent o the population had
completed high school.
The highest concentration o col-
lege graduates was in the District
o Columbia, where 49 percent o
adults had a bachelors degree or
more education. In addition to the
District o Columbia, more than 1in 3 adults had at least a bachelors
degree in the ollowing states:
Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, and
Virginia. In Arkansas, Mississippi,
and West Virginia, 1 in 5 adults or
ewer had a bachelors degree or
more education.
Nativity and Attainment byRegion and State
Table 2 also shows educationalattainment data across regions and
states by nativity status. Among
the oreign born, educational
attainment was highest in the
Northeast and lowest in the West.
The native-born population in every
region was more likely than the
oreign-born to have completed
high school or more education.
In the Northeastern and Western
regions, the native-born population
was more likely to have a bach-
elors or higher education than the
oreign-born population, while in
the Midwest, the oreign born were
more likely to have a bachelors or
higher degree. In the South, the
native born were more likely than
the oreign to hold a bachelors or
higher degree, but the dierence
was 0.3 percentage points.
High school attainment was higher
or the native born in nearly all
states.17
Conversely, oreign-bornresidents were more likely to have
less than a high school education.
In Texas and Nevada, the oreign
born made up hal or more o the
population aged 25 and over that
17 High school attainment was signicantlyhigher or the oreign born (87.3 percent)compared to the native born (82.7 percent) inWest Virginia.
had not completed high school. In
Caliornia, 70 percent o those
with less than high school were
oreign born.
College attainment was higher or
the native born in ewer than hal
o the states. States with higher
native-born than oreign-borncollege attainment were concen-
trated in the West, but this pattern
was also evident in states that are
traditional immigrant gateways
(including Illinois, Florida, and New
York).18 In 19 o the 50 states, the
proportion o oreign-born adults
with at least a bachelors degree
was larger than the proportion o
native-born adults who had com-
pleted college.
In some states, the oreign bornmade up a substantial share o
the population with bachelors
or higher degrees. In Caliornia,
the oreign-born population made
up 30 percent o the population
aged 25 and over with a bachelors
or higher degree. In New York,
they made up 24 percent o
this population.19
States with a large percentage o
native-born people with a bach-
elors or higher degree also tended
to have a large percentage o
oreign-born people with a bache-
lors or higher degree, although the
relationship was not very strong
(Figure 4). The simple correlation
between these percentages across
states was 0.2 (where 1.0 repre-
sents perect correlation and 0.0
represents no correlation at all).
18 For inormation on immigrantgateways, see the Census 2000 SpecialReport Migration o Natives and the ForeignBorn: 1995 to 2000 (CENSR-11), available onthe Census Bureaus Web site at.
19 See Table B06009, Place o Birth byEducational Attainment in the United States:2009, available on the Census Bureaus Website at .
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtmhttp://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtmhttp://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtmhttp://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtm -
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U.S. Census Bureau 11
Table 2.
Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over by Region and State by
Nativity Status: 2009
Area
High school or more education2 Bachelors degree or more
Total Native born Foreign born Total Native born Foreign born
Percent
Margino error1
() Percent
Margino error1
() Percent
Margino error1
() Percent
Margino error1
() Percent
Margino error1
() Percent
Margino error1
()
United States 853 01 886 677 02 279 01 281 01 268 01
RegionNortheast 870 01 898 01 749 03 321 01 323 02 311 04
Midwest 881 01 896 01 709 05 265 01 261 01 307 04South 834 01 860 01 666 03 258 01 258 01 255 03
West 841 01 913 01 633 03 293 01 310 01 242 02
StateAlabama 821 04 827 04 675 28 220 04 217 04 298 19Alaska 914 06 926 07 799 36 266 13 270 14 222 34
Arizona 842 03 896 03 596 13 256 03 272 04 182 08Arkansas 824 05 840 05 516 33 189 05 190 05 158 23
Caliornia 806 02 908 01 628 03 299 02 328 02 248 03
Colorado 893 04 931 03 613 17 359 05 374 05 243 14
Connecticut 886 04 907 03 774 15 356 05 364 05 314 14Delaware 874 08 888 06 749 39 287 10 276 11 387 32
District o Columbia 871 10 889 09 767 35 485 12 485 13 481 34
Florida 853 02 885 02 749 06 253 02 257 02 237 05Georgia 839 03 858 03 701 13 275 03 273 04 291 11
Hawaii 904 05 933 05 806 14 296 08 308 09 255 16Idaho 884 05 912 05 553 32 239 06 246 07 157 22
Illinois 864 02 901 02 694 08 306 02 311 02 280 05
Indiana 866 03 876 03 684 19 225 03 222 04 287 16Iowa 905 03 917 03 644 26 251 05 250 05 271 24
Kansas 897 04 919 03 625 24 295 05 300 05 230 19
Kentucky 817 04 820 04 729 24 210 04 207 04 306 26Louisiana 822 04 826 04 729 28 214 04 212 04 262 26
Maine 902 05 906 05 797 29 269 08 269 09 279 37
Maryland 882 03 902 03 781 10 357 04 349 05 398 13
Massachusetts 890 03 919 02 755 09 382 04 392 04 340 11
Michigan 879 02 890 02 749 13 246 03 236 03 368 13
Minnesota 915 02 932 02 716 16 315 04 314 04 324 17Mississippi 804 05 808 05 660 44 196 05 194 05 263 37
Missouri 868 03 872 03 766 21 252 04 247 03 368 20
Montana 908 05 912 05 778 49 274 10 272 10 337 60Nebraska 898 04 926 04 515 34 274 06 279 06 198 26
Nevada 839 06 909 05 625 16 218 05 231 06 178 11
New Hampshire 913 05 919 05 822 34 320 08 316 08 373 32New Jersey 874 02 905 02 785 07 345 04 341 04 356 07
New Mexico 828 06 877 05 486 26 253 05 268 06 153 15
New York 847 02 892 02 726 04 324 02 340 03 282 05North Carolina 843 03 862 02 645 13 265 03 265 03 266 11
North Dakota 901 06 905 06 763 71 258 09 256 09 315 72
Ohio 876 02 880 02 804 13 241 02 234 03 386 14
Oklahoma 856 04 873 04 596 27 227 04 229 04 209 17
Oregon 891 04 922 03 646 17 292 05 297 05 252 14
Pennsylvania 879 02 886 02 783 09 264 02 257 02 358 12Rhode Island 847 08 885 07 647 30 305 10 327 11 186 21
South Carolina 836 04 843 04 707 19 243 04 242 04 269 20
South Dakota 899 06 905 06 704 53 251 10 251 10 244 53Tennessee 831 03 838 03 701 22 230 03 227 04 296 18
Texas 799 02 871 02 532 06 255 02 272 02 194 03Utah 904 04 935 03 642 23 285 06 295 07 198 17Vermont 910 07 913 07 828 34 331 10 330 11 336 59
Virginia 866 03 875 03 804 10 340 04 331 04 402 11
Washington 897 03 927 03 726 10 310 04 310 04 313 10West Virginia 828 05 827 05 873 38 173 05 167 05 538 53
Wisconsin 898 02 910 02 679 17 257 03 256 03 271 19Wyoming 918 07 928 06 680 79 238 11 241 11 148 52
Represents or rounds to zero1 A margin o error is a measure o an estimates variability The larger the margin o error in relation to the size o the estimate, the less reliable the estimate
When added to and subtracted rom the estimate, the margin o error orms the 90 percent confdence interval2 High school or more education reers to completing a high school diploma, GED or alternative credential, or higher degree
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009
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12 U.S. Census Bureau
THE VALUE OFEDUCATIONALATTAINMENT
One o the potential beneits o
educational attainment is eco-
nomic success, particularly through
access to higher earnings.20 Table
3 displays the median annual
earnings in 2009 by educational
attainment or workers aged 25
20 See the Current Population Report,The Big Payo: Educational Attainmentand Synthetic Estimates o Work-LieEarnings (P23-210), available on the CensusBureaus Web site at .
and over.21 Among all workers,
higher educational attainment was
generally associated with higher
earnings. The median earnings
ranged rom about $18,000 or
workers with less than a high
school degree, to over $60,000 or
those with an advanced degree.
Workers with a regular high schooldiploma earned about $27,000,
and those with a GED earned about
21 A worker is dened as a person who,during the preceding calendar year, did anywork or pay or prot or worked withoutpay on a amily-operated arm or business atany time during the year, on a part-time orull-time basis. A ull-time, year-round workeris a person who worked ull time (35 or morehours per week) and 50 or more weeks dur-ing the previous calendar year.
$23,000. Those with a bachelors
degree earned about $48,000.
Median earnings or a worker with
a bachelors degree were 77 per-
cent higher than median earnings
or a worker with a regular high
school diploma, and median earn-
ings or an advanced degree were
31 percent higher than earnings ora bachelors degree.22
22 These ratios were calculated by dividingthe rst median by the second median. Forinstance, median earnings or all workerswere $47,510 or a bachelors degree and$26,776 or a regular high school diploma.$47,510 divided by $26,776 equals 1.77.Thereore, median earnings or a worker witha bachelors degree were 77 percent higherthan median earnings or a worker with ahigh school degree alone.
WV
OH DE
MI
ME
MOPA
VA MD
DC
MT
NHNJ
VTMN
WA
GA
NCIAWISCLAMS
ALTNIN
ND
SD
KY
OK
AR
NV
AKFL
NE UT
AZ
ORHI
CT
MA
CO
RI
IL NY
NMWYID
TX
CAKS
Figure 4.
Percentage of the Population 25 Years and Over with a Bachelor's Degreeor Higher by State and Nativity Status: 2009
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009.
(In percent)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percentageofforeignbornwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher
Percentage of native born with a bachelors degree or higher
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf -
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U.S. Census Bureau 13
Dierences in earnings by race and
Hispanic origin were evident within
each o the educational attainment
categories, but the pattern was
not always the same. Non-Hispanic
White workers had the highestmedian earnings among those with
a regular high school diploma.
Among those with a bachelors or
advanced degree, Asian workers
had the highest median earnings.
Black workers had the lowest
median earnings among those who
did not complete high school, while
Hispanic workers had the lowest
median earnings o those with a
bachelors or advanced degree.
Working ull-time was associated
with about $6,000 higher earn-
ings or those who had completed
less than high school to $12,000
more or those who held advanced
degrees. Median earnings were
about $33,000 or those with a
high school diploma who were
ull-time workers versus $27,000
or all workers with a high school
diploma. The dierence in median
earnings between ull-time workers
and all workers was even greater
or GED recipients. Full-time work-
ers whose educational attainment
was a GED earned $31,000 com-pared to $23,000 or all workers
whose educational attainment
was a GED. This meant that part
o the reason or lower earnings
Table 3.
Median Earnings for Workers 25 Years and Over by Educational Attainment, Work Status,
Age, Sex, and Race and Hispanic Origin: 2009
Characteristic
TotalNot a high
school
graduate
Regular highschool
diploma
GED oralternative
credential
Some collegeor associates
degree
Bachelors
degree
Advanced
degree
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
Earn-
ings
(dollars)
Margin
o error1
()
All workers 33,071 70 18,432 72 26,776 78 22,534 162 31,906 72 47,510 115 62,313 179
Age
25 to 34 years 28,645 76 16,284 167 23,127 156 18,836 280 27,171 125 39,886 152 49,393 223
35 to 44 years 36,383 116 19,265 121 28,195 133 23,716 326 34,695 186 52,012 223 69,050 353
45 to 64 years 37,297 87 20,207 155 29,392 93 25,617 251 36,376 115 52,135 163 70,455 258
65 years and over 17,345 181 12,382 181 14,077 185 13,787 482 16,922 305 23,427 521 34,609 992
Sex
Male 39,186 71 21,629 137 32,000 121 26,906 304 39,125 98 57,714 163 78,582 250
Female 27,836 52 13,943 88 21,307 92 18,232 184 26,937 87 39,263 111 52,150 175
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone 34,949 76 18,974 99 27,941 76 23,171 207 32,966 99 48,185 100 62,454 195
Non-Hispanic White alone 36,813 77 20,040 156 28,644 79 23,205 206 33,458 99 48,585 102 62,897 238
Black alone 28,101 113 16,019 263 23,582 175 18,684 392 28,679 153 41,329 368 55,950 1,027
Asian alone 38,963 257 18,748 279 23,640 287 24,668 1,285 31,442 420 49,110 325 72,159 681
Hispanic (o any race) 23,689 118 18,046 111 22,734 149 22,786 478 29,270 180 39,867 341 53,695 1,024
Full-time, year-roundworkers 42,242 63 24,520 99 33,213 95 30,915 192 39,867 71 56,472 181 74,248 242
Age
25 to 34 years 36,352 115 22,050 214 28,687 140 27,898 337 33,238 158 45,997 253 56,285 465
35 to 44 years 44,441 135 24,785 167 34,013 199 31,513 413 41,239 138 61,748 272 78,622 406
45 to 64 years 46,747 124 26,243 180 35,950 154 32,934 330 44,041 132 63,261 265 82,097 336
65 years and over 38,380 354 24,166 434 30,296 455 27,983 925 37,962 511 52,698 1,232 77,356 1,572
Sex
Male 48,156 73 27,465 161 38,379 110 35,492 326 46,456 155 64,919 234 89,431 323
Female 37,183 82 20,037 123 28,157 81 25,767 239 34,418 109 48,220 118 61,532 199
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone 44,450 92 25,602 163 34,870 111 31,501 199 41,261 93 58,149 134 75,273 327
Non-Hispanic White alone 46,808 102 29,203 175 36,036 124 31,779 220 41,855 98 58,779 138 75,982 349
Black alone 35,178 190 23,334 282 28,956 192 27,303 644 34,761 235 47,155 556 61,791 730
Asian alone 49,159 245 23,591 411 28,542 359 32,604 1,885 38,653 431 58,210 427 82,653 917
Hispanic (o any race) 30,093 147 22,479 144 27,881 167 29,518 419 35,624 271 46,774 553 62,018 1,079
1 A margin o error is a measure o an estimates variability The larger the margin o error in relation to the size o the estimate, the less reliable the estimateWhen added to and subtracted rom the estimate, the margin o error orms the 90 percent confdence interval
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009
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14 U.S. Census Bureau
among workers with a GED is that
they were less likely to be working
ull-time.23
Sex and Median Earnings byEducation
Among all workers, women earned
less than men (about $28,000 and
$39,000, respectively). This was
also true at each level o educa-
tional attainment (Table 3). Women
with a high school diploma earned
about $21,000 a year. This was less
than men without a high school
diploma or GED, who earned about
23 For more inormation, see DavidBoesel, Nabeel Alslam, and Thomas Smith,Educational and Labor Market Perormanceo GED Recipients, 1998, Washington, DC,National Library o Education.
$22,000. At the high end o edu-
cational attainment, women with
an advanced degree earned about
$52,000 a year, which was less
than the $58,000 that men with a
bachelors degree earned.
Working ull-time, year-round
was associated with higher earn-
ings or both men and women,
but there was still an $11,000
gender dierence in annual median
earnings (about $48,000 or men
and $37,000 or women). Womenwho worked ull-time, year-round
earned less than men in the all-
worker population and earned
less than ull-time, year-round
male workers at each educational
attainment level.
The emale-to-male earnings ratio
in the total worker population was
0.71, while the ratio or ull-time,
year-round workers was 0.77. In
other words, women earned 71 per-
cent o what men earned overall,
and earned 77 percent o what men
earned when working ull-time,
year-round. At the bachelors level
and below, women who worked
ull-time earned 73 to 74 percent
o what men earned at the same
level o education. The earnings o
women who worked ull-time with
advanced degrees were 69 percent
o mens earnings.
Figure 5.
Unemployment Rate by Educational Attainment: 20082010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2008, 2009, 2010.
Percent
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
AdBachelors DegreeSome CollegeHS Grad/GEDLess than HS/GED
Dec2010
Nov2010
Oct2010
Sep2010
Aug2010
Jul2010
Jun2010
May2010
Apr2010
Mar2010
Feb2010
Jan2010
Dec2009
Nov2009
Oct2009
Sep2009
Aug2009
Jul2009
Jun2009
May2009
Apr2009
Mar2009
Feb2009
Jan2009
Dec2008
Nov2008
Oct2008
Sep2008
Aug2008
Jul2008
Jun2008
May2008
Apr2008
Mar2008
Feb2008
Jan2008
Less than high school/GED
High school grad/GED
Some collegeBachelors degree
Advanced degree
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U.S. Census Bureau 15
Unemployment Rates byEducational Attainment
While the Bureau o Labor Statistics
is the oicial source o data about
unemployment, this report pro-
vides a brie discussion o unem-
ployment by educational attain-
ment. Figure 5 shows monthlyunemployment rates
by educational attainment rom
January 2008 to December 2010
using CPS data.24 People with the
highest educational attainment
were the least likely to be unem-
ployed in any given month dur-
ing this 3-year period.25 In August
2010, the unemployment rate or
people with less than a high school
diploma or GED was 13.3 percent,
while the unemployment rate or
people with an advanced degree
was 4.1 percent. The respective
rates or these two groups in March
2008 were 9.5 percent and 1.5 per-
cent. High school graduates were
more likely to be unemployed than
bachelors degree holders within
each month o this period.
Although the unemployment rate
or people o all education levels
increased over the 3-year period,
the amount o change diered. Inboth January 2008 and September
24 Although ACS does collect inormationon employment status, CPS is the primarysource o inormation on labor orce charac-teristics o the U.S. population. The Bureauo Labor Statistics (BLS) produces the ofcialstatistics about unemployment. For moreinormation, see the monthly release oreports about unemployment by educationalattainment in the link or the EmploymentSituation located on the BLS Web site at. See alsothe release College Enrollment and WorkActivity o 2010 High School Graduates avail-able on the BLS Web site at or Table A-4:
Employment Status o the Civilian Population25 Years and Over by Educational Attainmentat .
25 In the 4 months o May, June, October,and November 2008, the unemployment rateor people with a bachelors degree was notsignicantly dierent rom the unemploymentrate or people with an advanced degree.
2008, the unemployment rate or
those who had completed less than
high school was 9.0 percent. In the
period spanning these months, the
unemployment rate or people with
advanced degrees was much less
and remained under 3.2 percent.
By January 2009, the unemploy-
ment rate or people with less than
high school shited then upward
to 14.4 percent and eventually
reached a peak o 17.9 percent
in February 2010.26 At the end o
2010, this unemployment rate had
allen slightly to 15.7 percent, but
was still higher than the rate or
people with greater educational
attainment.27 From January 2009
to December 2010, the unemploy-
ment remained below 5 percent or
those with advanced degrees.
Relative to their unemployment
levels in the irst month o 2008,
unemployment rates or people
with less than a high school
diploma or GED, and people with
an advanced degree had shited up
by actors o 1.9 and 1.7 at the end
o 2010, respectively. These actors
are not signiicantly dierent rom
each other and suggest that both
groups were aected in similar
ways by economic conditions. How-
ever, i these changes are examined
in terms o the likelihood o being
unemployed in the same period o
January 2008 and December 2010,
the groups with the lower educa-
tional attainment were more heav-
ily impacted. The unemployment
rate grew 6.7 percent or those
who had completed less than high
school (rom 9.0 to 15.7 percent)
26 This February 2010 unemployment ratewas not signicantly dierent rom the rate in
January 2010 or people with less than a highschool degree.
27 This December 2010 unemploymentrate was not signicantly dierent rom therate in January 2009 or people with less thana high school degree.
but only 1.6 percent or those with
advanced degrees (rom 1.8 to 3.4).
SOURCES OF THE DATA
Most estimates in this report
are rom the 2009 American
Community Survey (ACS) and the
20052009 ACS 5-Year estimates.Some estimates are based on data
obtained by the Annual Social and
Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the
Current Population Survey (CPS)
and the decennial census. Unem-
ployment data are rom monthly
Current Population Survey iles.
The population represented (the
population universe) in the 2009
ACS includes both the household
and the group quarters populations
(that is, the resident population).The group quarters population
consists o the institutionalized
population (such as people in cor-
rectional institutions or nursing
homes) and the noninstitutional-
ized population (most o whom are
in college dormitories).
The population represented (the
population universe) in the ASEC
to the CPS is the civilian noninsti-
tutionalized population living in
the United States. The institutional-
ized population, which is excluded
rom the population universe, is
composed primarily o the popula-
tion in correctional institutions and
nursing homes (91 percent o the
4.1 million institutionalized people
in Census 2000).
The population represented (the
population universe) in the CPS is
the civilian noninstitutionalized
population living in the UnitedStates. The CPS is a monthly survey
o households conducted by the
Census Bureau or the Bureau o
Labor Statistics.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htmhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm -
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16 U.S. Census Bureau
ACCURACY OF THEESTIMATES
Statistics rom sample surveys
are subject to sampling error and
nonsampling error. All comparisons
presented in this report have taken
sampling error into account and
are signiicant at the 90 percentconidence level. This means the
90 percent conidence interval or
the dierence between estimates
being compared does not include
zero. Nonsampling error in surveys
may be attributed to a variety o
sources, such as how the survey
was designed, how respondents
interpret questions, how able and
willing respondents are to provide
correct answers, and how accu-
rately answers are coded and clas-
siied. To minimize these errors,
the Census Bureau employs qual-
ity control procedures in sample
selection, the wording o questions,
interviewing, coding, data process-
ing, and data analysis.
The inal ACS population estimates
are adjusted in the weighting
procedure or coverage error by
controlling speciic survey esti-
mates to independent population
controls by sex, age, race, andHispanic origin. This weighting
partially corrects or bias due to
over- or under-coverage, but biases
may still be present, or example,
when people who were missed
dier rom those interviewed in
ways other than sex, age, race, and
Hispanic origin. How this weighting
procedure aects other variables in
the survey is not precisely known.
All o these considerations aect
comparisons across dierent sur-
veys or data sources. For inorma-
tion on sampling and estimation
methods, conidentiality protection,
and sampling and nonsampling
errors, please see the 2009 ACS
Accuracy o the Data document
located at
and the Multiyear Accuracy o
the Data document or the
20052009 multiyear data
located at .
The CPS weighting procedure uses
ratio estimation whereby sample
estimates are adjusted to inde-
pendent estimates o the national
population by age, sex, race, and
Hispanic origin. This weighting
partially corrects or bias due to
undercoverage, but biases may still
be present when people who are
missed by the survey dier rom
those interviewed in ways other
than age, sex, race, and Hispanic
origin. How this weighting proce-
dure aects other variables in the
survey is not precisely known. All
o these considerations aect com-
parisons across dierent surveys
or data sources. Further inorma-
tion on the source o the data and
accuracy o the estimates or the
2008, 2009, and 2010 CPS, includ-
ing standard errors and conidence
intervals, can be ound at
,
, and
, respectively
or by contacting the Demographic
Statistical Methods Division via
e-mail at .
MORE INFORMATION
Detailed tabulations, related
inormation, and historic data
are available on the Internet at
the Educational Attainment page
on the Census Bureaus Web site at
.
For additional questions or
comments, contact CamilleL. Ryan or Julie Siebens at
301-763-2464 or via e-mail at
or
.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar08.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar08.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar09.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar09.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar10.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar10.pdfmailto:[email protected]://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/mailto:[email protected]://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar10.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar10.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar09.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar09.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar08.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar08.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/MultiyearACSAccuracyofData2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdf -
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