One-Third of Young Women Have Bachelor’s
Degrees
About
33 percent of young women 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree or more education in
2007, compared with 26 percent of their male counterparts, according to
tabulations released today by the U.S. Census
Bureau.
The
series of tables, Educational Attainment in the United States:
2007, showed that among adults 25 and older, men remain
slightly more likely than women to hold at least a bachelor’s degree (30 percent
compared with 28 percent). However, as the percentage for women rose between
2006 and 2007 (from 27 percent), it remained statistically unchanged for
men.
The
tables also showed that more education continues to pay off in a big way: Adults
with advanced degrees earn four times more than those with less than a high
school diploma. Workers 18 and older with a master’s, professional or doctoral
degree earned an average of $82,320 in 2006, while those with less than a high
school diploma earned $20,873.
Other
highlights:
- In 2007, 86 percent
of all adults 25 and older reported they had completed at least high school and
29 percent at least a bachelor's degree.
- More than half of
Asians 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or more (52 percent), compared with
32 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 19 percent of blacks and 13 percent of
Hispanics.
- The proportion of
the foreign-born population with a bachelor’s degree or more was 28 percent,
compared with 29 percent of the native population. However, the proportion of
naturalized citizens with a college degree was 34
percent.
- Workers 18 and older
with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $56,788 in 2006, while those with
a high school diploma earned $31,071.
- Among those whose
highest level of education was a high school diploma or equivalent, non-Hispanic
white workers had the highest average earnings ($32,931), followed by Asians
($29,426) and blacks ($26,268). Average earnings of Hispanic workers in the same
group ($27,508) were not statistically different from those of Asian or black
workers.
- Among workers with
advanced degrees, Asians ($88,408) and non-Hispanic whites ($83,785) had higher
average earnings than Hispanics ($70,432) and blacks
($64,834).
The
package contains a series of data tables on educational trends and attainment
levels. Data are shown by characteristics, such as age, sex, race, Hispanic
origin, marital status, labor force status, occupation, industry and
nativity.
The
data are from the 2007 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic
Supplement, which is conducted in February, March and April at about 100,000
addresses nationwide.
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Statistics
from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. For more
information on the source of the data and accuracy of the estimates, standard
errors and confidence intervals, go to Appendix G of <http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar07.pdf>.