Educational Attainment

Higher levels of education are associated with greater wealth, better health, and longer life (Waite and Gallagher 2000; Farley 1996).

Chart 2b. Educational attainment of the population aged 55–64, 1984, 1994, and 2004

Note: A single question which asks for the highest grade or degree completed is now used to determine educational attainment. Prior to 1995, educational attainment was measured using data on years of school completed.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

• In 2004, more than half (53 percent) of people aged 55–64 had at least some college education compared to only slightly more than a quarter (27 percent) in 1984.
• The percentage of people aged 55–64 with a college degree doubled between 1984 and 2004 from 14 percent to 28 percent.
• Only 14 percent of people aged 55–64 in 2004 had less than a high school education compared to 33 percent in 1984.