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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 05-487
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, March 25, 2005
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND WORK ACTIVITY OF 2004 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
In October 2004, 66.7 percent of high school graduates from the class of
2004 were enrolled in colleges or universities, according to data released
today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The
college enrollment rate for recent high school graduates was almost 3 per-
centage points higher than a year earlier and approached the historical
high for the series (67.0 percent in 1997).
Information on school enrollment and work activity is collected monthly
in the Current Population Survey (CPS). Each October, a supplement to the
basic CPS gathers more detailed information on full-time and part-time en-
rollment status, level of education, and enrollment status a year earlier.
The CPS is a monthly nationwide survey of about 60,000 households that ob-
tains information on employment, unemployment, earnings, demographics, and
other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over. Additional information about the October supplement is included in the
Technical Note.
Recent High School Graduates and Dropouts
Of the 2.8 million youth who graduated from high school between October
2003 and October 2004, 1.8 million (66.7 percent) were attending college in
October 2004. (See table 1.) The enrollment rate of young women, 71.6 per-
cent, continued to exceed that of young men, 61.4 percent. Asian high school
graduates (76.0 percent) were more likely than white graduates (68.4 percent)
to be enrolled in college. Black and Hispanic or Latino graduates were about
equally likely to be college students in the fall--61.1 and 61.9 percent,
respectively.
Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college, 93.2 percent were
full-time students. Of these full-time students, 42.1 percent were employed
or looking for work in October 2004. In contrast, 82.4 percent of part-time
college students participated in the labor force.
Two-thirds of the 2004 high school graduates enrolled in college attended
4-year institutions. The labor force participation rate for these students
was 36.5 percent, and their unemployment rate was 11.8 percent. In contrast,
61.1 percent of the recent high school graduates enrolled in 2-year institu-
tions were in the labor force, and their unemployment rate was 15.0 percent.
(See table 1.)
Recent high school graduates who were not enrolled in college in the fall
of 2004 were more likely than enrolled graduates to participate in the labor
force (77.5 versus 44.8 percent). The unemployment rate for those not en-
rolled in college was 20.0 percent in October 2004.
Between October 2003 and October 2004, about 500,000 young people dropped
out of high school. The labor force participation rate for these dropouts
(53.7 percent) was considerably lower than the participation rate for recent
high school graduates who had not enrolled in college (77.5 percent). Among
recent high school dropouts, men were more likely than women to be participa-
ting in the labor force in October 2004 (59.9 versus 45.9 percent). The un-
employment rate for high school dropouts was 39.9 percent in October 2004,
nearly twice the unemployment rate of high school graduates who had not en-
rolled in college (20.0 percent).
- 2 -
Youth Enrolled in School
In October 2004, 20.2 million 16- to 24-year olds were either enrolled
in high school (9.4 million) or college (10.8 million). Among high school
students, 31.8 percent were engaged in some form of labor force activity
in October. The labor force participation rate for high school students
hovered around 40 percent throughout the 1990s but has fallen in recent
years. Among college students who were enrolled full time, 53.7 percent
participated in the labor force. In contrast, 87.0 percent of part-time
college students participated in the labor force. (See table 2.)
Overall, the unemployment rate for high school students (16.5 percent)
was higher than for college students (8.2 percent). Unemployment rates
for black (33.3 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (24.4 percent) high school
students continued to be higher than for whites (14.3 percent). Among
college students, blacks and Asians had the highest unemployment rates
(15.3 and 12.8 percent, respectively), while Hispanic or Latino and white
college students had similar rates (7.6 and 7.1 percent, respectively).
Out-of-School Youth
Of the 16.3 million 16- to 24-year olds not enrolled in school in
October 2004, 80.8 percent were in the labor force. Among youth not in
school, men were more likely than women to be in the labor force. The
difference was greatest among those with less than a high school diploma
and diminished with more education. (See table 2.)
Unemployment rates for youth not in school were lower among those with
higher education levels. The unemployment rates for youth who had college
degrees were 5.0 percent for men and 5.6 percent for women. In contrast,
youth not enrolled in school with less than a high school diploma had
unemployment rates of 20.0 percent for men and 23.6 percent for women.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release were obtained from a supplement to the
October 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about
60,000 households which provides information on the labor force, employ-
ment, and unemployment for the nation. The survey is conducted monthly
for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data re-
late to the school enrollment status of persons 16 to 24 years of age in
the civilian noninstitutional population in the calendar week that includes
the 12th of the month. Data reflect revised population controls for the
Current Population Survey introduced in January 2004.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed,
there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true"
population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error,
varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-
percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample
will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population
value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at
the 90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of
the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the
sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct infor-
mation, and error made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
Concepts
The principal concepts used in connection with the school enrollment
series are described briefly below.
School enrollment. Respondents were asked whether they were currently
enrolled in a regular school, including day or night school in any type of
public, parochial, or other private school. Regular schooling is that
which may advance a person toward a high school diploma or a college,
university, or professional degree. Such schools include elementary
schools, junior or senior high schools, and colleges and universities.
Other schooling, including trade schools; on-the-job training; and courses
that do not require physical presence in school, such as correspondence
courses or other courses of independent study, is included only if the
credits granted count toward promotion in regular school.
Full-time and part-time enrollment in college. College students are
classified as attending full time if they were taking 12 hours of classes
or more (or 9 hours of graduate classes) during an average school week and
as part time if they were taking fewer hours.
High school graduation status. Persons who were not enrolled in school
at the time of the survey were asked whether they had graduated from high
school. Those who had graduated were asked when they completed their high
school education. Persons who had not graduated, that is, school dropouts,
were asked when they last attended a regular school. Those who were
enrolled in college at the time of the survey also were asked when they
graduated from high school.
Table 1. Labor force status of 2004 high school graduates and 2003-04 high school dropouts 16 to 24 years old
by school enrollment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2004
(Numbers in thousands)
Civilian labor force
Civilian Not in
Characteristic noninsti- Employed Unemployed labor
tutional Percent of force
population Total population
Total Percent of Number Rate
population
Total, 2004 high school
graduates (1)................... 2,752 1,533 55.7 1,282 46.6 251 16.4 1,219
Men.............................. 1,327 764 57.6 645 48.6 119 15.6 562
Women............................ 1,425 768 53.9 636 44.6 132 17.2 657
White............................ 2,111 1,211 57.4 1,037 49.1 174 14.4 900
Black or African American........ 416 204 48.9 152 36.6 51 25.1 213
Asian............................ 121 57 46.7 46 38.0 10 (2) 65
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 286 153 53.5 129 45.3 23 15.3 133
Enrolled in college.............. 1,835 821 44.8 712 38.8 109 13.3 1,013
Enrolled in 2-year college..... 618 378 61.1 321 51.9 57 15.0 240
Enrolled in 4-year college..... 1,217 444 36.5 392 32.2 52 11.8 773
Full-time students............. 1,711 720 42.1 624 36.5 95 13.3 991
Part-time students............. 124 102 82.4 88 71.3 14 13.5 22
Men............................ 815 347 42.6 293 35.9 54 15.6 468
Women.......................... 1,020 475 46.6 420 41.1 55 11.6 545
White.......................... 1,444 685 47.5 602 41.7 84 12.2 759
Black or African American...... 254 91 35.9 72 28.2 19 21.3 163
Asian.......................... 92 33 35.4 27 29.7 5 (2) 60
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 177 74 42.0 67 37.8 7 (2) 103
Not enrolled in college.......... 918 711 77.5 569 62.1 142 20.0 206
Men............................ 512 418 81.6 353 68.9 65 15.6 94
Women.......................... 406 294 72.4 217 53.5 77 26.2 112
White.......................... 667 526 78.8 435 65.2 91 17.3 141
Black or African American...... 162 112 69.4 81 49.8 32 28.2 49
Asian.......................... 29 24 (2) 19 (2) 5 (2) 5
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 109 79 72.1 63 57.3 16 20.4 31
Total, 2003-04 high school
dropouts (3).................... 496 267 53.7 160 32.3 106 39.9 229
Men.............................. 278 166 59.9 99 35.6 67 40.4 112
Women............................ 218 100 45.9 61 28.1 39 38.9 118
White............................ 370 196 53.0 140 37.7 56 28.8 174
Black or African American........ 91 50 54.4 11 12.3 39 (2) 42
Asian............................ 2 2 (2) 2 (2) - - -
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 154 87 56.8 61 39.3 27 30.7 67
1 Data refer to persons who graduated from high school between October 2003 and October 2004.
2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
3 Data refer to persons who dropped out of school between October 2003 and October 2004.
NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals
because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or
Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Because of rounding,
sums of individual items may not equal totals. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Data reflect revised
population controls for the Current Population Survey introduced in January 2004.
Table 2. Labor force status of persons 16 to 24 years old by school enrollment, educational attainment, sex,
race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2004
(Numbers in thousands)
Civilian labor force
Civilian Not in
Characteristic noninsti- Employed Unemployed labor
tutional Percent of force
population Total population
Total Percent of Number Rate
population
Total, 16 to 24 years.......... 36,504 22,484 61.6 19,847 54.4 2,637 11.7 14,020
Enrolled in school................. 20,173 9,293 46.1 8,283 41.1 1,010 10.9 10,880
Enrolled in high school (1)...... 9,372 2,982 31.8 2,490 26.6 493 16.5 6,389
Men............................ 4,913 1,545 31.5 1,258 25.6 287 18.6 3,367
Women.......................... 4,459 1,437 32.2 1,231 27.6 205 14.3 3,022
White.......................... 7,138 2,503 35.1 2,146 30.1 357 14.3 4,635
Black or African American...... 1,522 319 20.9 213 14.0 106 33.3 1,204
Asian.......................... 358 52 14.4 43 11.9 9 (2) 306
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 1,515 390 25.7 295 19.4 95 24.4 1,125
Enrolled in college.............. 10,801 6,311 58.4 5,794 53.6 517 8.2 4,490
Enrolled in 2-year college..... 2,684 1,867 69.5 1,673 62.3 193 10.4 818
Enrolled in 4-year college..... 8,117 4,444 54.8 4,120 50.8 324 7.3 3,672
Full-time students............. 9,256 4,967 53.7 4,534 49.0 433 8.7 4,289
Part-time students............. 1,545 1,344 87.0 1,260 81.5 84 6.3 201
Men............................ 4,934 2,751 55.8 2,503 50.7 248 9.0 2,183
Women.......................... 5,867 3,560 60.7 3,291 56.1 269 7.6 2,307
White.......................... 8,486 5,130 60.5 4,767 56.2 364 7.1 3,355
Black or African American...... 1,276 678 53.1 574 45.0 104 15.3 598
Asian.......................... 712 302 42.4 263 37.0 39 12.8 410
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 1,245 758 60.9 700 56.2 58 7.6 487
Not enrolled in school............. 16,331 13,191 80.8 11,564 70.8 1,627 12.3 3,140
16 to 19 years................... 3,210 2,322 72.4 1,858 57.9 464 20.0 887
20 to 24 years................... 13,121 10,868 82.8 9,705 74.0 1,163 10.7 2,253
Men.............................. 8,560 7,485 87.4 6,578 76.9 907 12.1 1,075
Less than a high school
diploma...................... 2,140 1,668 77.9 1,334 62.3 334 20.0 472
High school graduates, no
college (3).................. 3,978 3,540 89.0 3,110 78.2 429 12.1 438
Some college or associate
degree....................... 1,658 1,532 92.4 1,425 86.0 106 6.9 126
Bachelor's degree and higher... 784 746 95.1 708 90.4 37 5.0 38
Women............................ 7,771 5,706 73.4 4,986 64.2 720 12.6 2,066
Less than a high school
diploma...................... 1,626 867 53.3 662 40.7 205 23.6 759
High school graduates, no
college (3).................. 3,265 2,384 73.0 2,050 62.8 334 14.0 881
Some college or associate
degree....................... 1,799 1,478 82.2 1,352 75.2 126 8.5 321
Bachelor's degree and higher... 1,081 976 90.3 921 85.2 55 5.6 105
White............................ 12,842 10,486 81.7 9,441 73.5 1,045 10.0 2,356
Black or African American........ 2,466 1,924 78.0 1,484 60.2 440 22.9 542
Asian............................ 425 333 78.4 296 69.7 37 11.1 92
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 3,541 2,737 77.3 2,429 68.6 308 11.2 804
1 Includes a small number of persons enrolled in grades below high school.
2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
3 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals
because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or
Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Because of rounding,
sums of individual items may not equal totals. Data reflect revised population controls for the Current
Population Survey introduced in January 2004.