EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, MARCH 21, 2003 (FRIDAY)
Mike Bergman CB03-51 Public Information Office (301) 763-3030/457-3670 (fax) (301) 457-1037 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Quotes and sound bites Women Edge Men in High School Diplomas, Breaking 13-Year Deadlock The high school graduation rate for women age 25 and over (84.4 percent) exceeded that of men (83.8 percent) in 2002, the first statistical difference between the two sexes since 1989, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said today. According to new tables released on the Internet, titled Educational Attainment in the United States: March 2001 and March 2002, more than one-quarter (27 percent) of adults age 25 and older had at least a bachelor's degree in 2002, about 1 percentage point higher than the previous year. The jump in the percentage of college graduates resulted from significant increases for women, non-Hispanic whites and African-Americans. About 3-in-10 young adults, ages 25 to 29 in 2002, had completed a bachelor's degree, matching the 2000 record high. (See attached table.) Adults age 18 and over with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $50,623 a year in 2001, while those with a high school diploma earned $26,795 and those without a high school diploma averaged $18,793. Advanced degree-holders made an average of $72,869 in 2001. Other highlights for the population 25 years and over in March 2002:
- Asians and Pacific Islanders had the highest proportion of college graduates (47 percent), followed by non-Hispanic whites (29 percent), African-Americans (17 percent) and Hispanics (11 percent).
- The proportion of Hispanics born in the United States who had a bachelor's degree or more (14 percent) was higher than that of those born outside the country (9 percent). For Asians and Pacific islanders, the corresponding rates were much closer: 44 percent and 48 percent, respectively.
- Ninety percent of the employed civilian labor force age 25 and over had a high school diploma and 32 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher.
- The Northeast region had the highest proportion of college graduates (29 percent), followed by the West (28 percent). The proportions of college graduates in the Midwest (26 percent) and the South (25 percent) were not statistically different.
Table A.
Summary Measures of Educational Attainment of the U.S. Population: March 2002
(Numbers in thousands)
Percentage | |||
Characteristics | Number of people | High school graduate or more | Bachelor's dregree or more |
Population, ages 25 and over | |||
Total | 182,142 | 84.1 | 26.7 |
Race and Hispanic Origin | |||
White | 151,942 | 84.8 | 27.2 |
Black | 20,359 | 78.7 | 17.0 |
Asian and Pacific islander | 7,866 | 87.4 | 47.2 |
Hispanic (of any race) | 19,670 | 57.0 | 11.1 |
Non-Hispanic white | 133,417 | 88.7 | 29.4 |
Sex | |||
Men | 86,996 | 83.8 | 28.5 |
Women | 95,146 | 84.4 | 25.1 |
Population, 25 to 29 years old | |||
Total | 18,310 | 86.4 | 29.3 |
Race and Hispanic Origin | |||
White | 14,574 | 85.9 | 29.7 |
Black | 2,439 | 86.6 | 17.5 |
Asian and Pacific islander | 1,066 | 95.1 | 54.8 |
Hispanic (of any race) | 3,537 | 62.4 | 8.9 |
Non-Hispanic white | 11,252 | 93.0 | 35.9 |
Sex | |||
Men | 9,150 | 84.7 | 26.9 |
Women | 9,159 | 88.1 | 31.8 |
Note: Hispanics may be of any race.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 2002.