April 3, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Industries with the highest percentages of college grads

In 1998, 39 percent of workers in the services industry held at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest percentage of all the industries.

[Chart data—TXT]

Close behind the services industry were finance, insurance, and real estate and government (public administration)—in both of these industries, 37 percent of workers had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the remaining industries, less than 25 percent of workers were college graduates in 1998.

The percentage of workers with at least a bachelor’s degree was below 15 percent in three industries. In wholesale and retail trade, 14 percent of workers were college graduates and in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 13 percent were. In construction, just 10 percent of workers held a bachelor’s degree or higher.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey program. To find out more about characteristics of industries, see "How Industries Differ," in the Career Guide to Industries, 2000-2001 Edition, BLS Bulletin 2523. The services industry includes establishments that provide personal, business, health, legal, educational, and other services to individuals and organizations.