One-Third of Young Women Have Bachelor's Degrees

One-Third of Young Women Have Bachelor's Degrees

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.

Editor's note: The report can be accessed at

http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html .

-- 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.

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.

Broadcast news release

ANNOUNCER:

ONE IN EVERY THREE YOUNG WOMEN IN THEIR MID AND UPPER TWENTIES HAS EARNED A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR MORE. JUST OVER A QUARTER OF YOUNG MEN HAD A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR MORE, ACCORDING TO NEW DATA RELEASED TODAY BY THE U-S CENSUS BUREAU. MEN REMAIN SLIGHTLY MORE LIKELY THAN WOMEN TO HAVE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR MORE. THE GAP STANDS AT ABOUT TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS. THE FINDINGS ALSO SHOW THAT MORE EDUCATION CONTINUES TO PAY OFF IN A BIG WAY. ADULTS WITH ADVANCED DEGREES EARNED FOUR TIMES MORE THAN THOSE WITH LESS THAN A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA -- ABOUT 82-THOUSAND DOLLARS COMPARED WITH 21-THOUSAND DOLLARS. OVERALL, 86 PERCENT OF ADULTS HAVE AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND 29 PERCENT AT LEAST A BACHELOR'S. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION AT W-W-W-DOT-CENSUS-DOT-GOV.

[NOTE: To be added to the Census Bureau's news release distribution list, please visit http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/subscriptions.html.]

Robert Bernstein
Public Information Office
301-763-3030/763-3762 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Robert Bernstein, Public Information Office, +1-301-763-3030,
+1-301-763-3762 (fax), +1-301-457-1037 (TDD), pio@census.gov

Web Site:

http://www.census.gov/

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