This report was prepared by Denise I. Sanford and Peter J. Sepielli, with the assistance and supervision of Rosalind R. Bruno, of the Education and Social Stratification Branch, Population Division. Table preparation and statistical testing were performed by Andrea E. Adams and Brenda R. Jefferies. Sampling review was conducted by Ronald J. Statt and Donna L. Kostanich of Statistical Methods Division. Programming support was provided by Thelma N. Varhach and survey operations were coordinated by Kathleen P. Creighton of Demographic Surveys Division. Overall supervision was provided by Arthur J. Norton, Assistant Division Chief (Demographic and Social Statistics Programs), and Paul C. Glick, Senior Demographer, Population Division. SUGGESTED CITATION U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-20, No. 356, Educational For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Postage stamps not acceptable; currency submitted at sender's risk. Remittances from foreign countries must be by international money order or by a draft on a U.S. bank. Current Population Reports are sold in two subscription packages: Series P-20, P-23, P-27, and P-60 are available for $40.00 per year ($10 additional for foreign mailing); Series P-25, P-26, and P-28 are available for $70.00 per year ($17.50 additional for foreign mailing). The single-copy price of this report is $4.00. Percent of persons 25 years old and over who completed high school or college, by metro- politan residence: March 1979 and 1975, and April 1970 . . . D. Percent of employed persons 25 to 64 years old who have completed 4 years of high school or more and 4 years of college or more, by occupation and sex: March 1979, 1975, and Years of school completed by persons 18 years old and over, by metropolitan and non- metropolitan residence, age, race, Spanish origin, and sex: March 1979 ... Years of school completed by employed persons 25 to 64 years old, by major occupation group, sex, age, race, and Spanish origin: March 1979. . . . 48 DETAILED TABLES-Continued 8. Table Years of school completed by persons 14 years old and over, by age, sex, race, and Spanish origin, for the 15 largest States: March 1979..... 9. 10. 11. Years of school completed by persons 14 years old and over, by age, sex, race, and Spanish .... 12. Years of school completed by employed persons 25 to 64 years old, by major occupation group and sex: March 1979, 1975, 1970, and April 1960.. ... B-1. Generalized standard errors for estimated numbers of persons-total or White.. 67 68 69 70 70 Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1979 and 1978 INTRODUCTION This report contains data based on the results of the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Bureau of the Census in March 1979 and 1978. The detailed statistical tables present data on years of school completed by persons 14 years old and over by such characteristics as age, sex, race, Spanish origin, type of residence, region of residence, and occupation. who had recently completed their education and the attrition of older persons who completed less years of school. In comparing persons 25 to 29 years old and persons 65 years old and over, large differences in attainment levels are apparent. Eighty-six percent of the younger group completed high school as compared with only 40 percent of the older group. Of persons 25 to 29, close to one-fourth completed 4 or more years of college-nearly three times the proportion of persons 65 and over who completed college. Table A shows that the proportions of persons who completed at least 1 year of college and 4 or more years of college were greater for men than for women in 1979. This differential between men and women has not been narrowing, and in fact, among all persons 25 years old and over, the gap appears to have widened. In examining the level of educational achievement among young adults 25 to 29 years old, it appears that changes for men and women, although substantial at every level, were not very significant. In March 1979, 68 percent of persons 25 years old and over were high school graduates, a significantly larger proportion than the 55 percent recorded in 1970. During the 1970's, the proportions of persons completing at least 1 year of college and graduating also rose. By 1979, 31 percent of adults had completed at least 1 year of college, and about 16 percent were college graduates, both proportions grew by nearly one-half during the decade. This increase was largely because of the higher attainment levels of the young adults Table A. Percent of Persons 25 Years Old and Over Who Completed Selected Levels of Education, by Sex and Race: March 1979 and 1970 |