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.
![Percent of workers with bachelor's degree or higher, by industry division, 1998](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925080147im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/2000/Apr/wk1/art01.gif)
[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.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »