June 22, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Recent immigrants and educational attainment

Among recent immigrants age 25-34, about 16 percent of workers have a master’s or higher degree, while about 26 percent have not completed high school.

Percent of labor force age 25-34 by educational attainment, U.S. born and recent immigrants, 2000
[Chart data—TXT]

In comparison, U.S.-born workers age 25-34 are less than half as likely to have a master’s or higher degree—about 7 percent attained that level of education. Another 7 percent of U.S.-born workers in this age group have not received a high school diploma.

Recent immigrants are foreign-born persons who entered the United States from 1996 to 2000.

These data are produced by the Current Population Survey. More information can be found in Working in the 21st Century, (Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2001).